The Shallow Deep
by x-Luniana-x
Summary: The truth is finally revealed. Lucifer and Chloe both need to challenge and overcome their fears to let the bond between them heal and strengthen. As an investigation on a dead priest shows connections towards Lucifer, hell starts to break lose quickly and the events are not only endangering the Detective and the Devil, but could possibly change the world as they know it.[COMPLETE]
1. Beneath The Surface (Prelude)

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to my first story since literally a decade! I hope you are up for a crazy ride throughout this little story I came up with. I'll be posting here the first two chapters straight away, while having written a lot more already. I will be releasing two Chapters per week, Tuesdays and Fridays, unless I give you note otherwise.**

 **I'm curious on your comments and thoughts. Keep in mind please that I am not a native speaker and this basically is the very first big story I write in my life so far, not just in English, but in general. I have never written something with so much lifeblood and dedication. Special thanks to my Beta DeathlyOlympianHallow and as of late also Cengiz! It's always a pleasure to watch someone read through my lines and correcting mistakes as fast as lightning, hehe!**

 **A final note, before you read on. I'm sure you have seen this from other writers, but just on my behalf: I gave my chapters song-titles, as the music itself and/or the lyrics from it felt fitting to the chapter's content. Usually though, the title shouldn't really give you anything away before you read through it :) So no spoilers! Right, now, I get back to continuing writing and you enjoy the story! Have fun!**

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Chapter 1

Prelude

The barren landscape of ash and dust was broken up only occasionally by rock formations and craters and in various distances towards each other, massive tombs would be carved into the rocks, sealing in their guilt-ridden prisoners. It thundered within the grayish-red shimmering something that could be described as a sky, but it was not _the_ sky by any means. They did not know if it was because _he_ was angry and influencing the landscape, or if it was hell itself that wanted to express its menacing aura to its inhabitants. The surfaces of the obsidian rocks were smooth and sharp-edged, like flint stones. Only that one was able to recognize in the hellish rock its own mirror image. But it did not stay that way, because with the eons that passed without any sense of time in hell, the rocks' surfaces were also used as memorials. Memorials, because the Devil enclosed and banished his adversaries into those very rocks.

They walked together past the memorials. _They_ were brothers and their faces were as gloomy as ever, but even more so after the conversation that lay behind them. The sound of their armor clanging mingled with the deep, pained moans and growls that grated from the smooth stone surfaces into the endlessness of the underworld.

"He doesn't have the balls to attack." one of them grumbled, his snout curling back in contempt, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. Annoyed by the ashrain, he shook his body to get the grey particles out of his furry body, before he continued with long strides, dull clacking sounds accompanying each step.

"Although I admit, we've been overdoing it with the human scum." another argued with a hiss, sending sulky glares at his sibling as he dared to overtake him by a foot.

The slender and gruesomely deformed figure to their right grinned and snickered darkly. His long tongue flicked excitedly from one side to the other. "That isss a matter of opinion. The mortal could have followed the rulesss. I despissse those animalsss. They don't dessserve to be tortured in any other way."

"It's not that he doesn't have the balls. He won't attack because we're his brothers. He's not fond of the idea of smiting his brethren."

With a dismissive grunt another one cut in. "That's why we all had to fall! If he had actually fought, _we_ would have won the war!" The dark shards of obsidian shimmered on his arms as he waved his fists and smashed with ease one of the rocks on the side of their path. He sent a swift look backwards, scanning the surroundings and checking for any unwelcoming ear - not that a lot of creatures in hell existed to oppose them. Turning back, he hurried to keep up with his brothers, the rubble ground beneath his clawy feet bouncing from his heavy weight.

"Anyway, he's only fighting back in the means of defense." a calmer voice muttered, obviously less enraged and more in thought.

"I'm fed up with his talk about just punishment. I want to fucking punish whoever I want, the way I want for as long as I want!" a high pitched voice viciously hissed in between them.

Shaking off the remains of rocky dust from his hand, the massive built shape narrowed his eyes at his brothers. "The time will come when I will trim his wretched white wings. I'll pluck him like a goose…"

His long tongue dripping from venom, the other shot back enviously. "Why the hell did hisss feathersss ssstay that way while oursss are ssstunted asss if vulturesss had gone at them!?"

"Probably because he's still Daddy's boy!" The almost wolfen looking one barked.

"Don't sssay that to his face, or he'll throw you to his hound."

"Do you really think that stinking mutt scares me?!" the fur covered shape snarled, baring his teeth.

"Pha! He's strong enough to rip you to shreds if _he_ would let him."

A sudden, thunderous bang silenced the others as a fierce fist broke stone as if it was made out of glass. "Let that puppet try!" he growled gravely. "I'll gut him and decorate my armor with his teeth."

"Brothers!" a voice filled with deliberation called to their reason, "We'll wait for the right moment and we get ourselves back another brother... Then he will pay for what he did to us. Our fall, for how this place of _his punishment_ has distorted _us_ and that he has the audacity to command us and make us serve under him!"

The snapping sound from a cat 'o nine cutting the air drew their attention, and a high pitched voice barked in a menacing laughter."We will destroy the Devil eventually. Because we have _something_ in plenty amounts… Time."

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 **There you go. The first Chapter of many more to come. Don't worry, the chapters following are much longer than the Prelude. Next up: Season 3 cliffhanger.**


	2. The World Is Unravelling

The World Is Unravelling

 **Chapter Title/Song by MILCK**

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He felt relief wash over him when he saw the Detective was unharmed, the only visible disturbance to her being the bullet hole in her shirt which stuck tightly over her kevlar vest. Unfortunately, to his surprise, her features didn't seem to relax when she saw him as the last man standing, once Pierce was lying on the ground, quite dead. Lucifer frowned in confusion, even more so, as she suddenly made a small step backwards, just as he made one towards her.

"Detective, what's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked quietly and with a light shake in his voice. The massive ruptures through his tucked-away wings were making themselves noticeable once more, now that Chloe was near him again. He could feel how his insides were slowly tearing, making him feel dizzy.

"It's all true… you… you..." Chloe stammered quietly, her eyes wide as she stared at who… _what_ was standing in front of her. Her right hand raised to lay cautiously on her weapon holster, ready to draw, while once more she took a step back, feeling her heels hit the stairs behind her.

This wasn't right. Seeing her stare at him like this, her emotions so crystal clear laying bare on the surface for him to realize… She looked shocked, disbelieving, distraught and… _scared_. Why did she look at him like that? Lucifer inhaled deeply and began to check his clothing, if perhaps his battled look was disturbing her. Of course the bullet holes in his shirt were plain in sight but there were no flesh wounds beneath. The only actual wound visible was the cut on his arm from Maze's dagger. Her almost traumatized stare did not make any sense and he couldn't gauge what it could be that put her into this state. That was until he caught a glance on his own hands. "No…" he breathed, realisation hitting him. "No no no no _no_..." Suddenly he felt like all the air had been forcefully pushed out of his lungs with a heavy blow, making him stumble backwards as he stared with horror at his hands which had turned into a deep flesh red, with the appearance of blood-red sinew, bones and burns with no skin attached to them.

He opened his mouth trying to say something to calm her and himself, but it was all in vain. Within a blink, his appearance turned back to his heavenly human looks, but he knew that the damage had already been done. Chloe was afraid of him, _terrified_ even, ready to shoot him, if he would attempt to come closer. She had finally seen him for who he is. The Devil. And now she was scared to death, just like everyone else before her. He could feel as the precious bond, which they had both so carefully woven between them, forcefully ripped apart and if he didn't know any better, he could have sworn that his heart had been ripped apart just the same.

As the severity of the situation became clearer to him, another pain seared through him much more dominantly, quickly overtaking his senses. The wounds that had been inflicted to his wings affected his earthly plane, even though the divine attachments were hidden inside him. Unfortunately, so were the bullets. And so his body began falling into an uncontrollable state of shock. Unceremoniously he sank to his knees and dropped to his side, blood beginning to fill his lungs rapidly.

With his head on the ground, he could see Chloe still standing several feet away from him. He could tell she was trying her best not to tremble. _My dear brave Detective…_ he thought and couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. Rather abruptly though, he needed to cough blood and gasped for air. _Bloody hell, why did she have to come back? Well, you idiot, aren't you happy she came back and hasn't run off screaming yet!?_ He wouldn't be happy for much longer, he sighed inwardly, knowing that if he wasn't getting a proper distance towards the Detective, he would certainly die. Sure he would end up in hell once more and probably would be able to return, but there was a slight uncertainty about his mortality around her. The biggest counterargument, though, being that he didn't want her to watch him die, suffocating on his own blood like a miserable thug in a gang war.

Rolling onto his back he groaned and spat a mouthful of blood to his side before bringing his hands together. "Ame..-ngh-..adiel... cm' on you feathered... moron..." he rasped through clenched teeth, eyes looking skywards, straight through the hole in the roof of the gallery he had created earlier. Faintly he heard a sound, but wasn't sure if it was his lungs bubbling or if it came from Chloe's direction. From the corner of his eyes he could see she had covered her mouth with her left hand. Was she crying? No... or maybe yes, from fear of what was revealed to her, obviously. _In dad's name, why the bloody hell hasn't she run off yet?!_ "I'm sorry..." he mumbled, not even sure if he actually managed to voice it out loud enough for her to hear. Suddenly he heard the all too familiar sound of rustling feathers and then he could see how the very dust particles in the air slowed down their movement. "W…at t'k you s' long?" he coughed heavily as Amenadiel moved to his side, shielding him from the impact of the sunbeams from above with his broad frame.

"Luci... what-?" the black angel began, his gaze wandered around shortly, but eventually rested on his brother. He sighed. "Nevermind. Tell me later. Let's get you out of here." With ease Amenadiel grabbed Lucifer and lifted him up into his arms. "You know our siblings will love to hear about this ride, don't you?" he mused lightly and pushed himself off the ground, gaining height quickly, while the scenery's timeflow moved back to its normal pace.

* * *

She felt her blood run cold when she saw the grotesque figure looking back at her. It seemed the whole world was suddenly upside down or as if it had been put into a snow globe and properly shaken until there was complete chaos in the air. Her lips ran dry as her eyes stared widely in front of her, trying to figure out and comprehend what had just happened and what was standing in front of her. Instinctively and without realizing it she stepped backwards, her hand on her holster. _Lucifer..._ Her partner. Her friend. It was him, but it was _not_. Chloe felt a massive inner tremble building up, but forced herself to focus and not show signs of weakness. She wasn't aware that her expression actually gave her away already. _It was all true... Lucifer... he_ is _the Devil..._ her mind repeated again and again, trying frantically to put pieces of information together that she had locked away in the deepest corners of her brain.

Chloe watched, as the creature in front of her seemed to be surprised at its own appearance as it looked down onto disfigured hands, scarred, blood red and absent of skin. In a blink of an eye later, she stared back at the face of her eccentric partner. Lucifer, _her_ Lucifer. Was it not him? She shuddered, unable to control her body any longer. Her grey-blue eyes looked back and she felt herself drowning in Lucifer's dark brown orbs, that now seemed so different than how she remembered them. Now they seemed old, abandoned of their usual spark, blank, dull and sad. She couldn't help that suddenly her mind summed the look up as despair and helplessness. But why did he look like that?

She startled as suddenly Lucifer dropped to the ground. Her heart was hammering inside her chest with her mind debating on running away, but feeling frozen to the spot, and fear for what was suddenly happening to Lucifer. _What the hell is wrong with me!? Why do I care!?_ Her mind screamed but it felt like her heart gave her an instant answer when it contracted hard and she had to take in a sharp breath. _Because it's him_.

Suddenly Chloe heard Lucifer speak as he rolled onto his back with a grunt. He seemed hurt somehow and... was he seriously folding his hands into a _prayer_? Was he...? _Oh. My. God. GOD!_ _He exists! Everything exists!_ This wasn't all some kind of method acting and not any form of delusion, it all really was true. Lucifer really was the Devil. God exists. Angels exist. Heaven and Hell exist. Blinking, she noticed blood bubbling out of Lucifer's mouth, and again she felt her heart contract forcefully. Subconsciously her hand raised, covering her mouth in shock and fear. He seemed to be in serious pain. And then all of a sudden... he was gone.

 _What the…?_ She blinked, unsure if she was actually awake and if she was really here, amidst several unconscious bodies, Pierce's dead one, lots of debris and huge amounts of... bloody white _feathers_? _What the hell?_ She inwardly scolded herself as she realized just how ridiculous that expression seemed now. _Feathers?_ Her mind reeled back to their arrival, but she felt stripped of her memories when the bullet of Pierce's thug had hit her, knocking her down, unconscious. There was merely some detached information left. She had felt softly enveloped, held, maybe. And then she felt weightless, her feet dangling. The next thing she recalls is seeing Lucifer's face as she laid on top of the helipad. And in that very moment she felt absolutely secure.

Did he... have _wings_? Did he _fly_ her up there? Her memory instantly shot back to their early partnership when she had seen the two massive scars on Lucifer's back and when he had insisted that his _angel wings_ had been stolen out of the container he had kept them in. _He is an angel_. Her head spun. _He's the Devil. How's that even pos-...?_

Armed men suddenly swarmed around her. SWAT, she realized and turned to her side as they secured the room, looking for possible opponents.

"Chloe? Chloe!" Dan came running towards her with Ella at his side. "Thank God, you're okay!" he breathed out in relief and pulled her quickly into a tight embrace.

Ella joined the emotional group hug with a soft frown on her face, before pulling away slowly, looking around. "What the heck happened here? And where is Lucifer? Is he okay?"

Chloe felt a lump building in her throat and a tremor ran through her body, making Dan pull away from her as well. "Chloe?" he asked with more pressure and concern, searching her face, waiting for her to respond.

She shook her head slowly first, then with more determination. "It was... it all happened really fast. I shot at Pierce to stop him and then his men opened fire on us... I took a bullet in my vest." She quietly said, lost in thought, stroking her fingers over the impact point through her shirt. She pinched her brows and hissed at the sudden pain that ran through her chest. "Lucifer... I... I think he killed Pierce. He had no choice." she added just barely above a whisper as her eyes rested on the limp body of Pierce just a few meters away.

"Okay Chloe, we'll figure everything out, don't worry. We still need to know where he is, though. Do you have any ideas?" Dan asked and gently rubbed her arm in a soothing manner, but Chloe just shook her head in a silent 'no'. "Alright, I'll take care of it. Ella you do your magic here."

"Sure thing, I'll scan the place and get all the info together. It's a mess in here, so I'll probably be here for a bit. I'll keep you posted." Ella nodded and gave Chloe a forced smile. "Sorry it went down like this Chloe... You know the saying - better a terrible end than an unending terror."

Chloe nodded, returning a forced smile of her own and wrapped her arms around herself. This was all so... unimportant, she thought suddenly. All this fuzz. Her mind was reeling over things on a galactic scale! Not on Pierce. Her thoughts rushed back to the crimson eyes and the scarred, red face that had gazed back at her. _Lucifer..._ She shivered.

Suddenly she noticed a nudge against her shoulder. Dan had apparently tried to talk to her without her noticing as she was somewhere else entirely. "-loe? Chloe? Hey? Come on let's get you to the precinct. The faster you get through the statement, the sooner you can get home and rest."

She complied silently, just able to nod and followed him through the crowd of people that had now filled the gallery, all doing their job on securing material, processing the bodies and gathering information on what happened. The ride to the precinct, Chloe stayed quiet mostly, only responding shortly to Dan's attempts for lighting up the mood.

"Oh and don't worry about Trixie. I can pick her up from school and have her stay with my parents for the next few days, if you want." he suggested.

"Thanks... two or three days should be enough. Besides, I really don't want to scare her. She just shouldn't see me like this at the moment and... I need some time to-" She hated that her voice was trembling so heavily.

"It's fine Chloe, you really don't need to explain. Seriously. I understand."

"Thank you Dan. I'm sorry, this is all so much happening." _And with Charlotte_... she didn't need to say it out loud. She gently smiled at him, sad, but as best as she could. She knew Dan had a whole amount of other things on his mind right now and none of them had the time to actually grieve and properly understand what had just happened to them.

The next two and a half hours felt like an eternity and the ordeal of the procedure seemed to drag on and on. She gave her full statement as best as possible, trying to remember things, but when she found she had no clue she simply said so and stuck with her truth to what she had witnessed. Aside from the part were her partner turned into Devil mode.

When she finally arrived at home, the sun had already gone down and the first thing Chloe did was fill herself a glass with Pinot Noir to the brim and down it in one go. She steadied herself at the kitchen counter as another tremor ran through her and was just barely able to put the glass down before dropping it. The gravity of the revelations rushing in on her, made her heart race. Lucifer is the Devil. The real Devil. And the Devil has been close to her for three years! Not just to her, but also to her daughter. She realized that she always had felt that there was a certain danger surrounding Lucifer, that tall, handsome looking and mysteriously magnetic man. She swallowed hard, remembering all too well the situations where Lucifer seemed to lose himself to a much darker version of himself, threatening criminals into submission, leaving them begging for mercy, or in a mental institution like Jimmy Barnes. If it hadn't been for her holding him back, what would he have done? For sure the Devil would have been prone to kill all of them. Tears welled up at the thought of her partner – was he still? – and with what her mind told her about what she knew about the Devil. Evil. He's pure evil. _The_ evil.

For the rest of the night, Chloe was not granted a good night's sleep. She tossed and turned in the sheets, haunted by blazing crimson eyes and a horrible demonic face, following her and not letting her escape its grip. She felt her skin burning, her insides tearing apart as the Devil caught her eventually, consuming her into nothing but darkness and despair, the only noise being the sinister laughter of the Devil and the legions of tormented souls screaming in hell.


	3. Man Or A Monster

**Man Or A Monster**

 **Chapter Title/Song by Sam Tinnesz ft. Zayde Wolf**

 **Check out the YouTube Video from knightvision1228. She made a wonderful Lucifer-Fanvideo with this song, that inspired this chapters vibe.**

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Only a few seconds had passed and Lucifer was dropped carefully on the balcony of his penthouse. Amenadiel observed him with a worried look. "What happened Luci? I saw Pierce... and your feathers. So?"

"Well I killed Pierce. He was the one who shot Charlotte." Lucifer explained rather shortly while striding inside, forcing himself to walk upright with the strength that slowly came back into his legs even though he still was breathing slightly harder than usual. He could feel the bullets stinging in his wings on the plane of light and began debating in his mind whether or not he should simply cut them off once more. Those pesky heavenly buggers were just a real pain in the arse - or back, as the case may be. Especially because of their heavenly origin, but now even more so with them being riddled with lead. Leaning over the counter of his bar, he groaned quietly, grabbed a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a glass full up to the brim. As Amenadiel was approaching him, just about to speak, Lucifer raised a finger at him to wait, drowning the contents of his glass in several big gulps. "As for the feathers." he continued. "I guess I fall into the category of a heavenly Swiss cheese now."

Amenadiel knew better than to voice the gravity of what it meant, that Lucifer had actually killed a human. This, they would certainly need to talk about at another time. However, he was glad that Charlotte's killer was stopped. Looking at his brother more closely he noticed the bullet holes in his shirt and a single cut to his upper left arm. "What exactly happened to your wings?"

Lucifer swallowed, thinking of Chloe's limp body in his arms, barely fifteen minutes ago. "I had to protect her. She got shot and Pierce and his men started their fire and I..." He fell silent.

"You shielded her with your wings?" Amenadiel finished quietly, his expression becoming baffled. He knew all too well how sensitive their wings are, but he would have no idea how it must have felt for his brother, being near the woman that makes him mortal, to have them butchered from a hail of bullets. "You... you should get them out while you're in the penthouse, recovering. Now that you are away from Chloe you probably will heal up in no time."

Lucifer nodded quietly at his suggestion and complies. With a quiet grunt, he forcefully pushed out his wings and looked over his shoulders. From what he could see, the bleeding had stopped, but the ruptures were still widely open with the bullets stuck deep inside. He only hoped that his wings would begin pushing out the nasty intruders as the healing progressed. Sighing he put the glass aside. This was all just a bloody mess! Why the hell did those things always happen to him in the most inopportune moments? He was quite sure Dear Old Dad was having a blast, watching him fail once again, even though He knew Lucifer's future already, being omniscient and all that. _Damn control freak..._ And now, his Devil face had returned. Brilliant! And it was also the first thing Chloe had seen about his divinity. Of course it couldn't have been his beautiful wings first or just his red eyes, no. It had to be the face that caused his opponents to wet themselves and caused everlasting nightmares! That was just his luck. "She knows, Amenadiel." he stated under his breath, meeting the eyes of his brother, who stared in shock at his blood-smeared wings. "She saw my face." He knew he didn't need to specify _what_ face he meant.

Amenadiel frowned confused. "But I thought-"

"It's back." he interrupted sharply, swallowing. "It returned when I killed Pierce."

"I'm sure she's gonna be alright. She's a strong woman." Amenadiel tried to reassure him. "But... your face, I mean, is it because you felt like a monst-"

"Just...!" Lucifer roughly cut him off, clenching his teeth, raising a daring finger at him. "I'm really not in the mood now to get some sort of guilt talk or that this is all part of Dad's _grand plan_..." he hoped Amenadiel got the hint and surprisingly the black angel nodded in understanding. Amenadiel truly had changed over the past weeks, it seemed.

"I'll be on my way then." Amenadiel simply replied, striding back to the balcony, not pushing his luck on talking to the Devil about personal guilt. That was just out of question.

"Thank you." Lucifer called after him a bit reluctantly. "For this and... also for bringing Charlotte to the Silver City."

Smiling to himself, Amenadiel slightly looked back over his shoulder, but didn't turn around. "You're welcome, Luci." And with the rustling of his dark brown feathers, he disappeared.

With yet another refilled glass, Lucifer walked outside on the balcony, his wings hanging low, to not be in his way too much. "You bloody bastard. What's the matter with you, hm!?" he growled skywards. "Why did you put her in my path, only for me to lose her this way? I mean... you knew this was going to happen! You always had a thing for drama, but this... it's like you're making me fall into an endless pit of darkness all over again!" He panted heavily with rage and despair, a searing pain in his chest strangling him. The sight of Chloe's fearful expression in front of his mind's eye seemed to twist and tug at his heart in a brutal way. "You knew that I had to kill Cain... he would've never stopped. You knew that I would have my face back and that she would see me. The Devil... You knew she would despise me for what I am!" His left hand had gripped the handrail so hard it began to bend under the force. "You might not be the reason certain things happen, _Dad_ , but you sure as hell aren't doing a bloody thing to prevent anything either. You just stand by and watch the show... _your_ show. Just like always, since the beginning of, well... everything, right?" he laughed bitterly, downed his drink and moved back inside. He knew there was no point in waiting for any signs or a response in anyway whatsoever. Dad never replied. Why should He?

With a heavy sigh he sat down at his piano, placed the glass on top of it and gently ran his fingers over the surface of the black instrument. Music had always been his outlet throughout the ages. And so his thoughts and feelings poured out of him through his fingertips, as he hit the keys with tenderness and grace for the following hours, with melodies of sorrow, heartache and despair. Eventually his senses felt numb and only a white noise remained in his mind, while the night moved on, filled with the heavy sound of his music, several bottles of Bourbon and a slowly filling ashtray on top of the grand piano.

* * *

She woke with a horrible headache, shivering, her pyjamas soaked in cold sweat. The dreams about the Devil haunting her made her feel constantly on edge. She was scared to the core, but Chloe knew that she needed to get a hold on herself and the situation. She needed to be in control. So she had to be strong and dig into the topic, gather as much information as possible and face her fear eventually. As the thought of seeing Lucifer again surfaced, she felt her heart begin to pound heavily in her chest and a lump forming in her throat. She thought of the Devil and her heart raced. But was it because of her being terrified of the Devil himself, or because of something else? She wasn't sure.

First things first, she thought, shook her head and began her morning with a long hot shower and a light breakfast. She sat in her sweatpants and old academy training shirt, legs folded with a big cup of coffee next to her on the table, her grey-blue eyes glued to her laptop screen. As she was scanning through the pictures of the Devil, she felt her blood running cold once again. All of those displays were gruesome looking, with a menacing visage of a monster with hooves, a tail, horns, a trident, claws and bared sharp teeth. The images all looked a bit different from each other in their design but all together they looked horrifying and demonic. However, she thought, they look nothing like what she had seen. Well, who would be able to explain how the actual Devil looks like? No human could possibly tell. Except her.

She continued researching about the origin and stories about the Devil. In all stories the Lord of Hell was described as a vicious, cunning, deceitful, lying snake (sometimes even a dragon) that had brought sin itself into the world by tempting Eve with a fruit from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Chloe sipped on her coffee, wondering if all of the parts in those writings sounded so evil. Sure, she thought, Lucifer is literally walking sin and certainly cunning, but he doesn't lie and he isn't vicious. He can be aggressive, especially when he's craving to deliver justice by giving a proper punishment, however only to those that harm him or the ones he cares about. She knew for sure that Lucifer was not the way _this_ Devil was displayed. It simply didn't match.

Looking through more articles she read about a great fight among the angels, where Lucifer had supposedly lead a brutal rebellion, dividing heaven's soldiers. Only with the effort of Michael he could be defeated and as punishment was cast into hell, where he was forced to rule for eternity. As for the reason behind this rebellion, she was left rather clueless and the scriptures she found, did not go into enough detail to really give a sound explanation. She made a mental note to ask about it, once she'd be face to face with the Devil once more. _If he lets me close enough to ask about it, that is..._ she thought, biting on her lip worriedly.

The hours passed by and Chloe had gone through several dozen pages with stories about the fall of Lucifer, when suddenly her eyes stuck on a picture. It was a black and white one of an old copperplate, showing the back of an angel, hands raised into the sky. Above it was a bright object. According to its title, it was the Morningstar. She blinked in surprise. What does the Devil have to do with the Morningstar? He uses it as his last name, sure, but... why would the Devil pick a star as his name? Aside from polishing his ego.

She dug deeper into the history and stories about the morningstar and found a passage that caught her curiosity. " _...And it was Samael, the most beautiful and most beloved of God's angels, who created the morningstar, followed by the countless other stars that light our firmament. Where before there has been darkness, now there was light. And thus he was named The Lightbringer. The Morningstar."_ Samael? The Lightbringer? She wrote down both words while deep in thought. Her fingertips flew quickly over the keypad, continuing her search, now about "Devil, Lucifer, Samael".

Right off the bat the first entry had a hit on all three keywords. The page described the story of the angel Samael, meaning _Wrath Of God_ , explaining that the name was nowadays hardly known or even used, but that the angel was rather known for his downfall and the name he carried from that moment on. Lucifer. The article displayed a row with pictures, showing a beautifully white winged angel among his siblings.

The next painting showed what seemed like a fighting scene during the rebellion. She recognized it as a rather famous motive that many artists had painted in their own style, but never had she really paid much attention to its content. The description explained it was "The Defeat Of Lucifer", being stabbed by the spear of his brother, Michael, sending him down to hell. The third picture showed Lucifer, falling. His wings were burning, just like his skin. His face was torn between that of a man and a demonic creature, a mixture of fear and hate visible in the crimson eyes of the broken angel, while awaiting the hungry flames of hell lying at the bottom of his seemingly endless fall. Her heart contracted. Did this really happen to him? To _her_ Lucifer?

The last few pictures on the site all showed different versions of how hell would look like. One showed a wasteland of flames and volcanoes and geysers of lava, while another was labelled Dante's Inferno, displaying a layout of hell with several stages and different sections. Chloe frowned at the sight of all of them. They all simply looked horrible. Well... it is what people labelled "hell", so... She wondered what it was actually like. How it looked like.. and what was Lucifer exactly doing as the Lord of Hell?

A day of pure research had passed by and Chloe found herself staring into nothingness while sipping at a freshly brewed cup of tea made for relaxing her mind after a day filled with input on celestial matters. With all the things she had read today, she didn't find any answers, but then again, she wasn't really sure she had one main question to begin with. Because one thing, she now knew for certain. It is true. Lucifer is the Devil. All the other things she read about though, brought up more questions than she had before and she wasn't sure she could stand to tackle them all together, so she settled with a few things to clear up instead.

Getting ready for bed, she noticed a shimmering object behind her alarm clock. Pulling it out, a soft smile spread on her face as she realized it was the gift that she treasured more than any other jewelery she owned. It had been not just an amusing gift, but actually a very sentimental one as well. Something she realised just now. He had asked her, _begged_ her even, to shoot him. He told her that she makes him vulnerable. And she had always seen this insecurity in his eyes, whenever both their feelings of longing and tenderness laid so thick in the air they were almost touchable. He showed her his affection again and again through gestures like such, but he always had held back about the side of him, he didn't want for her to see. _Detective… Chloe… I am the Devil._ She recalled the expression on his face in the gallery as he stared at her, his eyes wide in shock and then transforming into fear and sadness. He was scared, she now realized. Scared of her reaction. Scared of what she would think of him now that she saw. Now that she _knew_. He was afraid... that she would be scared of him. _Do I scare you?_ \- A distant memory awoke, with soft, dark brown eyes looking at her curiously, expectantly and with a hint of fear of rejection. _No_. And today's answer was still _no_.

She closed her eyes, more memories of her and Lucifer invading her during her sleep, all of them filling her with a light, warm feeling in her stomach. Until she dreamt of hell and a figure in front of her. He sat in hell on a throne made of grotesque limbs, ripped and rotting flesh and white bones. His arms rested on the sides, fingers digging into the skulls that adorned the armrests' fronts. Both his wrists were tightly cut with spiked chains that seemed to disappear into the throne itself. The same she realized was true to his ankles. He was bound to the throne like it was some sick prison. His eyes were glowing red, but at the same time looked old, lost and dull. Looking past his shoulders, Chloe could see a pair of white wings not fully stretched out, but hanging down weakly. Their impeccable beauty was torn to pieces by the countless holes in the heavenly feathers, splattered with sticky, dark red blood that trickled down to the ashen ground in a silent scream of pain. Chloe woke up with a startle, sitting upright immediately. Her hands covered both her mouth and her heart as she tried to calm down from her nightmare, tears streaming down her cheeks. She reached for her cellphone with trembling fingers, but was determined on the task at hand.


	4. The Burnin'

**The Burnin'**

 **Chapter Title/Song by Nik Ammar**

 **Little warning on a bit of rather mild graphical content towards the end of the chapter. Be aware that there will be much more in future chapters in terms of overall mature contents.**

* * *

He grumbled, shifting on the black satin sheets, his wings swooping with a subconscious jerk, spreading throughout the full width of his bedroom. A shattering and several thuds made him startle and jump up. "Bloody hell!" he hissed, turning to look over his shoulders and to his sides. Both of his nightstands next to the bed had been wiped clean of their surfaces' content which now laid scattered on the floor, among them small plastic bottles, pills of different size, shape and colour and the shards of a smashed whiskey glass with the remaining content flooding the unfortunate Italian black marble floor. He ground his teeth. "Bollocks..." Reaching at his arm he inspected the cut Cain had managed to inflict on him and saw it had healed up during the nights rest. _Well, that's one wound…_ He sat back on his heels, carefully relaxing his wings to a semi-spread state and took another look at the pesky feathered and certainly _bloody_ monstrosities. He could tell that the bullets still hadn't been repelled from his wings, which was odd. They were still stuck deep inside the flesh, stinging slightly, but at least the mind-numbing pain was gone that he had felt when he was close to the Detective.

 _Chloe..._ Lucifer groaned. If she hadn't yet left him for good the only other option would be that she was going to kill him, and as she knew she had made him bleed, she certainly would understand that she was actually able to kill the Devil for real. Either way, he knew he had lost her and that, sooner rather than later, he should prepare for certain circumstances. He could and probably should return to hell and along with that he would need to arrange a few things such as the ownership of LUX and he would want to talk with Linda and say his goodbyes. He wasn't so sure about where Maze stood in all this, but as he had freed her from her vows, she could do whatever she wanted. Although he did feel the wish to give her a payback for what she had done to him and on the long run what she had also done to Chloe and her spawn. At the thought of them he reached for his cellphone, fishing it up from the ground and scanning through his messages. Unfortunately there was no text from his Detective, but from her ex-husband, the Douche. Frowning, Lucifer read through it. Well, that was one more thing he needed to do before going back down south, he thought.

After cleaning up the mess he had created with his wings, a refreshing shower, some much needed grooming and product use for his hair, he finally tugged at the sleeve endings of his white dress shirt, happy with his now once more impeccable look. Time to make a statement.

The precinct looked more on edge and busy than usually and it was plainly obvious to him that the whole department was disturbed by the revelations of their former and now very dead boss having been a criminal mastermind.

"Ah, there you are man!" Dan approached him with a sigh of relief. "You okay? Chloe said something that you were suddenly gone."

"I'm quite alright Daniel, given the circumstances... What did she say? Where is she by the way?" Lucifer looked past Dan's shoulders to the Detective's desk, finding it empty. A pile of files was put on the outer edge of the table, making him cringe at the thought of so much paperwork needing to be done. He felt sorry for Chloe.

"Look, she's not here and won't be for the rest of the week. She was pretty shaken from what happened in the gallery-"

"What?" Lucifer looked back at the man in shock. What had she told them? Had she gone mad and told them she had seen the Devil... with crispy demonic skin and everything? Surely not, or else Dan would have said she had been put on leave for a time yet to be determined. But he had confirmed that she was having a hard time. She suffered and he knew it was because of him.

"Well, come on man, you surely can understand! She just found out the man she wanted to marry was the god-damn Sinnerman, who kill-"

"I know…, Daniel. I know." he quickly interrupted, feeling the sudden need to spare Dan from having to speak out loud about the fresh wound that was still bleeding so rapidly. "I'm sorry." And he truly was. He knew the humans would want to bury and mourn her ceremoniously soon and he made a mental note to help Dan with all the expenses, as he didn't want for him to bother with something so valueless as ridiculous paper.

"Right..." Dan nodded, glad to avoid the topic. "Okay, come on, let's get your statement. Since the whole department is affected from this, Captain Morris is taking the statements herself." He gently nudged Lucifer by the arm, guiding him to the interrogation rooms, and told him to wait shortly for the Captain.

The interrogation and statement were not the easiest tasks he had to manage, but given his experience and skill at avoiding certain truths, he somehow got through the list of questions the Captain had for him. As he was about to stand up, Captain Morris pinned him with a sharp look. "One more thing though, Mr. Morningstar. Why is it you left the crime scene? You left Detective Decker behind alone. Also you put yourself in danger. There is a reason our officers go into field with a partner, you know."

He sighed heavily, feeling once more a lump forming thickly in his throat. He had left her behind. Left her all by herself, when he had just shattered her world into tiny pieces, surely impossible to ever be set together again. At least not without seeing the scratches and places where she had once been broken and needed mending. He hurt her and he had put her in danger, in so many ways. He definitely hadn't been the partner she wanted, needed and deserved, but had been the opposite. "I didn't want to… I… It was a mistake..." he responded quietly, but with a shaking voice. "It won't happen again." Never, he added silently. _Never will I be the reason to endanger her ever again._

But the Captain didn't know the real meaning behind Lucifers words and so she nodded firmly and gave him a small smile. "Don't be too harsh on yourself, Mr. Morningstar, I can see you regret your move. Anyhow, you have been put through great amounts of stress during this investigation as I have been informed, so we keep it like this. You're free to go and don't have to fear any charges. Your actions fall under self defence, even though that has been a very risky move, I might add. After all you put yourself up against a crime boss and trained cop." She struck the file on the table as a sign for 'that's it'. "Thank you for your time. If there is anything else we need from you, we'll let you know. As far as your consulting services go, well, you can focus on your job as a club-owner for the rest of the week." She stood up, shook his hand and guided him outside.

Her words didn't help him that much. Not at all, if he was honest to himself. He had intentionally killed Cain. It was murder. With his Devil face having immediately returned after Cain had exhaled his last breath, Luifer asked himself what he was feeling so guilty about, that he was found to deserve being turned back into a monster. Had he enjoyed killing Cain? Or was that irrelevant and no matter if he had enjoyed or despised it, he would have felt like a monster and thus force the Devil face back onto himself? Or was it perhaps God playing a role in this - in his punishment?

* * *

Back at LUX, he distracted his mind as best as possible by taking care of mundane things, even though he knew most tasks were covered by his staff anyways. The only thing really left for him to take care of was to make deals with the customers who needed a favour from the Devil. So he took one favour after another, as long as he deemed it decent, which was a rather broad spectrum for Lucifer of course. But that kind of distraction only worked for so long and even though he had countless advances from both women and men that evening, which he all declined politely, he simply couldn't help the sad feeling tugging at his chest that dragged down his mood. Instead of displaying himself in any shape less than staggering and impeccable, he decided to retreat to his penthouse around one in the morning.

Suddenly his phone vibrated in his jacket and the Devil literally jumped. In one fraction of a second he felt his heart hammer madly inside his chest and he thought he now understood how humans could actually die from a heart attack. How could humans live under constant stress like that? Quickly he took out his phone and stared at the display. A message from _her_.

" _I'm on my way over."_

Well that was strange. Was she coming over to talk or scream at him? Perhaps with her gun pointed at him? To have at least a tiny advantage she of course could have simply not told him about her approach. Why didn't she call and yell at him to leave her alone, to go back to hell and never come back? He would do it, if this was her wish, he thought with a sigh and typed his reply.

" _Very well. I'll be waiting."_

When he saw she had read the message, he tucked his cell back into the inside pocket of his jacket and poured himself a glass full of top shelf scotch before settling at his piano. He wondered what the reason for her visit was. Was she going to accept him for who he was? For _what_ he was? Or was she going to just say her final goodbye in a more appropriate way that would certainly fit his Detective better than just retreating without a word? Lucifer didn't know and so once more when too many questions filled his mind, he began to play and this time sang as well. A couple of songs had passed by and he wasn't aware that the doors of his elevator had opened and a very cautious and quietly listening Detective stood a few meters away from him while he continued the current song. His voice was strong and filled with a depth that put that much more emotion into the lines he sang, pouring his heart into each and every word.

As he went on singing, he noticed a slight pain in his back, but didn't pay much attention to it. He rather focused on the image of Chloe in his mind, as she stands in front of him, her hair hanging loose and wavy, shining in the last beams of golden light of the day, framing her soft curves in a breathtaking way. Truly like an angel.

He didn't know how much time passed by and was just glad that playing and singing was taking his insecurity away (or at least pushing it aside), until he would have to face his dear Detective. With his eyes closed, he simply moved on from one song to the next, letting his mind drift, enjoying how he felt lighter, by expressing himself through the music, without needing to really search for the words. Only that nagging little pain in his back was irritating him slowly, but not stopping him from playing. The following song was actually a rocky melody in its original, but he unconsciously transformed it into a soft piano version.

 _You can shoot me down_

 _You can drag me 'round_

 _Girl I'll get you_

 _It won't be long_

As he was singing, he thought back to the beginning of their partnership, remembering just how much he was affected by the Detective and how much he was fascinated by her right from the moment they met. She had been the first mortal to ever be able to resist his charms. She was beautiful, headstrong, smart, selfless and had a strong feeling for justice, all character traits which he very much appreciated and acknowledged.

 _You can smash my heart_

 _You can trash our love_

 _But my desire for you is much too strong_

She had pushed his approaches aside again and again, countless times and then, one day, all of a sudden, when he had least expected it, she had simply kissed him. At the beach, right after he had told her a long list of reasons why he wasn't worthy of her grace and perfection. And that had made the little spark inside of him transform into a steadily growing, bright flame that yearned for more, making him change into something, _someone_ , ...better.

 _To be with you in heaven_

 _I would go through the darkest hell_

 _In heaven_

 _There's no cure for love that kills_

In between the verses he noticed how his breathing had become more difficult, flat and ragged somewhat. The nagging and stinging in his back now was rapidly turning into a mind numbing, piercing pain. _The wings_ , he thought. _Damn it... not again. Come on, just a few more lines._

 _Girl I'm on fire_

 _Heaven seems so close tonight_

 _Girl I would die for your love_

 _To be with you in heaven_

 _I would go through the darkest-_

And then it hit him. _Chloe…_ Lucifer abruptly froze as suddenly the sweet scent of vanilla tickled in his nose and his mind caught up the dots in between, realizing Chloe must be standing behind him, being the cause for the pain as well as the lovely scent in the air. His whole body had become rigid like a statue. He swallowed thickly. "Pardon me. I wasn't aware you're here already." he said looking slightly over his shoulder, trying his best to not let his voice shake, but let his tone be firm and steady. He didn't know, whether she would buy his façade or not. However, he didn't turn around fully, but decided to stay put and give her the freedom to choose to approach him or not.

Chloe had stood near the elevator for several minutes, having completely heard his last song, while her body felt less and less capable to keep herself together, to keep her emotions in check and for her legs not to give in. She managed it all though, except for the silent tears that had left a thin wet trail over her rosy cheeks. Careful to not stumble, she slowly walked towards Lucifer, stopping about two meters away. Subconsciously her mind chose this to be an acceptable distance to still be able to retreat to pull her gun, in case the man before her turned out to attack her. But she knew this was not going to happen. _He would never hurt me_ , she thought. "Sorry for eavesdropping..." she responded, smiling softly, but shyly. She took a moment to look at him. As he hadn't yet turned towards her fully, she just saw how his posture was stiff, his hands placed on his thighs now. But she could see beyond the display of calmness. She had seen him like this before several times and knew he was nervous. Just like her. The Devil got nervous? Really? But there was also something else. Her trained eye could catch the slight tremors that ran through him every few seconds and she clearly saw how he was breathing uneasily, even though he seemed to try his best to hide it from her. Something was _wrong_.

She instantly felt her worry for herself fade away and the concern for her partner rise and becoming her priority. With three swift steps she stood directly behind him, just now able to sense an odd coppery taste in the air. As she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, wanting to turn him around to make him look at her, Chloe froze in her move, the images from her nightmare flashing up in her mind. Lucifer. The Lord of Hell. The throne. His expression. The wings. The blood... "You're hurt." She didn't even realize that she had actually spoken out the words, but Lucifer caught the whisper, turning to her with a frown. "Let me see them." she stated then, more clearly, looking into his dark brown orbs, expectantly.

Lucifer shivered even though her hand hadn't yet touched him. But the millimetres that laid in between them were close enough for him to feel the warmth radiating from her palm and the thought of her gentle hands on him, made his belly feel weird in a good way. Light, somehow. If it weren't for the bloody pain that hammered in his back now, he might even had deciphered it as _butterflies_. He wasn't able to hold a sudden groan from escaping him as a new wave of pain made his whole body tremble. He clenched his teeth together and took in a sharp breath, the knuckles of his fingers turning white as they gripped into his thighs. He took a moment to progress what she had just said to him. "I beg your pardon?" he breathed irritatedly through his teeth, searching her face and posture.

She swallowed, nudging her chin towards his back. "Show me your wings." _Did I really just say that? Wow!_ Chloe tried to not sound too irritated by the fact that she actually voiced out Lucifer's celestial-ness.

He looked at her for several seconds, puzzled. She seemed... sane. That made him laugh slightly, even though it hurt him even more. She wasn't running, she wasn't screaming and she didn't seem insane either. _Is this woman normal in any bloody way?!_ She had seen his face, she obviously put two and two together as she had seen the feathers lying around in the gallery and she surely had done some research. And now she was here, with him. He smiled gently, drowning in the depth of her grey-blue eyes that still gazed at him expectantly. Then he swallowed. She really wanted to see his wings? _Well, if she handled everything before, what's a pair of gigantic angel wings gonna change, right? I just hope she doesn't faint..._ Standing up slowly, he put a hand on his piano to support himself. "Are you sure?" As she nodded quietly at him, so did he with a sigh and motioned her to step back a bit. "I don't want to accidentally hurt or startle you." he explained, rasping now. "They're rather big and usually very... overwhelming... not that I want to brag." he tried to joke to ease the tension in the air, but he couldn't really keep a happy facade. He waited for her to make a few steps back until she rested against his bar's counter. "Alright then..." Feeling the pain surge through him in unforgiving tormenting waves, he could not hold back his groans and grunts as he forced his wings out of their celestial plane.

Chloe gasped as she laid eyes on two morbid looking shiny wings beginning to emerge from behind Lucifer. The wings cracked, ground and creaked horribly as they were spreading slowly in their span, although at some point they stopped and she instantly knew they were not fully spread with tension. This seemed the most Lucifer was able to handle. Her heart hammered in her chest. _Wings... actual, freaking huge angel wings. And he's the Devil. And an angel._ Her mind tried frantically to bring this information together somehow, but failed so she decided to focus back on the here and now. Something that she was able to do. _Focus_. Lucifer seemed nervous as she looked completely awestruck at him, perhaps wondering if she finally had gone nuts and was ready for the loony bin.

She slowly stepped closer, watching his reactions, and when Lucifer stayed put, she took a closer look at the wings. They were a complete mess and even though they still looked amazing through their heavenliness, they looked mortifying at the same time, given the countless bullet holes, torn, broken and disturbed feathers, pieces of chipped bone and flesh and... blood. All this blood that thickly trickled out of the holes, seeming to gather at the tips of the feathers and now made quiet blob sounds as it dripped to his marble floor. And then there was this strange yellowish-white shiny substance that seemed to leak from some places… it looked like he was bleeding some sort of... _flowing light? What the…?_

"-ective? Detective?! Are you... alright?" Lucifer's voice suddenly rang in her ears, making her blink back to reality and stare back into his deep rich brown eyes that looked over her in worry. "You were gone there for a moment. Are you okay?"

Chloe blinked again and noticed something trickled along her cheeks. Swiping her sleeve over them, she realized she had started crying. _Damn it!_ She wanted to keep her emotions in check and not make him worry even more about how she was feeling. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." she quickly reassured him, nodding, even though her mind was still spinning.

Lucifer waited a moment longer, making sure she was indeed fine and not having her mind turned into scrambled eggs, because of laying her eyes on the wings. He knew she was lying. Merely to brace herself though, to keep herself together. A self preservation method of humans. Still a bit cautious about her mental state, he wanted to check, so he probed. "No… sudden wish to cut them off and hang them on the wall or fall to your knees in prayer or something similar?" He _had_ been there and seen it happen…

She squinted her eyes and wrinkled her nose in sudden disgust, just thinking about it. "Ugh, no! Why on earth would I want to do that!?" _Holy crap, had someone wanted to do that…?_

He exhaled, relaxing a bit. "Sorry, just checking…" When he saw she really meant it and was actually taking it once again better than he had expected it, and certainly better than any other human could possibly do, he shook his head lightly in fascination. "You really are amazing, you know?" he mused with a soft smile that he tried to hold for a bit, but it soon turned into a grimace as another wave of pain hit him. While Chloe was the one pretending to be 'fine', he certainly was not. Not in _any_ way. Even less with her being around. _But even when she had been gone my wings hadn't regenerated and healed up, so what the hell is the problem?_

He groaned and balanced his weight, the wings pulsing in a strange way and he had difficulty to even hold them upright. He thought of Maze's blades and the overall option to once again, get rid of the wings, but the truth was, he was rather happy to have them back, despite the connection of them to his heavenly origin. They had been the reason he had been able to save and protect Chloe. He looked at her, feeling nervousness creep up inside him once more, making him sway from foot to foot and it took him several attempts before he finally spoke. "Detec-... Chloe…." he used her name with affection. "Would you... help me… to get the bullets out? They bloody hurt…." He panted and his voice was raspy, humble and shaking. He could no longer pretend to be alright. He looked and sounded desperately vulnerable.

It was obvious to Chloe how much effort it demanded of Lucifer to make such a request, given his ego but also the fact of how protective he was over her. He wouldn't ask her if he thought he had a good chance to avoid it and to spare her from this. She swallowed thickly as she looked over his wings again. _He really is a freaking angel… And he has protected me with his wings, taking all these bullets… for me._ "That's the least I can do. You're hurt because of me." He was about to protest, but she cut him off quickly. "Where's your first aid kit? I need to get some equipment together." She felt utterly out of her realm, thinking that she was actually trying to attend to gunshot wounds on an angels' wings with her basic medical training she had last refreshed two years ago during a weekend course in the precinct. Talking about 'You never know when it could be useful!'. _Sure..._

"Top left shelf in the bathroom." he replied, looking at her in awe. She had been through so much because of him and she seriously wanted to take the blame for this? _Unbelievable_. _Perhaps she is losing it nonetheless..._

Chloe lost no time and moved to assist him. She slung his arm over her shoulder and walked him cautiously to his bedroom where she let him sit down slowly. Then she stepped into the adjacent bathroom, to retrieve the objects she would need. "Take off your shirt and lay down."

That took his my surprise. "Quite the demanding one, aren't we? Well, I'm not going to complain. I like it when you get all bossy, Detective." he laughed but then his expression became harder. "But… drawing the wings back in and out might actually kill me. I'd much prefer to keep the shirt on."

For a moment Chloe squinted her eyes at him. "Seriously?" she asked baffled. She took a closer look at the base of the wings and frowned. _Okay, what the actual fuck?_ The wings literally seemed to mend together with the fabric of his shirt. She squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment as her mind was simply not able to comprehend the logic and physics behind that concept. Then she took a deep breath and stepped to his side where she grabbed onto the hem of his shirt. With a forceful yank, the expensive fabric tore up and each side slid down the length of his arms, the fabric somehow slipping through his wings. _Ooookay…?_ Perhaps destroying it had not been necessary, but it still needed to be off, so she didn't pay it too much thought. Besides, Lucifer was the one with endless amounts of cash he loved to wave in front of people's eyes, right?

"Bloody bother! That was Armani!" he exclaimed angrily, slipping the rags off to the ground.

She rolled her eyes at him with a sigh. "Now lay down while I get the things I need." she instructed him firmly using her mother-to-defiant-child-voice and stepped into the adjacent bathroom, to retrieve the objects she would need.

He grumbled but complied to her demand and carefully laid belly down on his king size bed. His wings hung as relaxed as possible to his sides, the ends of them dipping over the edges of the bed and spreading slightly over the ground. They were massive and rather unwieldy for this enclosed space.

As Chloe returned, she laid out all of the items on the nightstand and looked over Lucifer who had turned his head on his pillow to look back at her. She took in a deep breath, nodding slightly, more to reassure herself that she could do this. "Do you have any painkillers? Something hard to take off the worst of it?"

Lucifer sighed about to shake his head when suddenly a thought occurred to him. He looked back at her pensively, debating if this would be a good idea or not. But did he really have a choice, aside from either ' _It certainly will bloody hurt like hell'_ or ' _It will still hurt like hell, but probably less and your mind won't give a damn for a while'_? He easily decided for the latter. "Actually… not the worst idea. Would you mind bringing me two bottles of the Macallen? They're at the bottom right shelve of the bar."

Chloe swallowed. _Seriously? Two bottles of whiskey? Was he going to drink two whole freaking bottles to get drunk? Breathe Chloe… breathe._ She had seen him drink like a bucket with a hole at its bottom and not being affected. But then she also had seen him utterly drunk as well. But he's the Devil. He would handle this. _Right?!_ "Okay... sure."

As he saw her go back to the other room, he reached to his right nightstand. _There should be some of my Thursday's Fun-Bag left…_ he thought, going through the top two shelves. _There we go! Right, let's see what's left…. Tramadol, Oxycodone, some Peyote and oooh.. Ketamine! That's enough to take out a horse, so maybe it works for a few minutes on me…_ He grabbed a whole handful of all the various pills and closed the shelves. _No need for her to see the rest of the mess inside._

Chloe returned with the bottles and an additional vodka, put one down on the nightstand and handed the other to Lucifer who indicated with flapping fingers at her, to instantly hand him the bottle. He rose up on one elbow, uncapped the bottle and began downing it. Without a stop.

 _This is… crazy as shit. He's actually drinking the whiskey as if it's water._ She swallowed down the lump in her throat. Her gaze turned even more horrified when she saw him move his other hand to his mouth, throwing something down his throat before continuing with big gulps until he had emptied the whole bottle. "Do I even wanna know what that was?" she asked carefully, but he just shook his head, put aside the empty bottle only to grab the second one. "Okay, Lucifer at least tell me this is really going to help… and that you won't OD." she pressed, more worried now as he half emptied the second Whiskey.

But Lucifer didn't stop to answer. Instead he forced down the last drops, put the bottle aside and crashed down again onto the pillow. When she realized, he was not going to respond, she took another deep breath, focusing on the task at hand. _Right. Breathe. You can do this, Decker. Bullets. Angel wings. Easy-peasy._ "Is there anything I should know about your wings? Like.. is there somewhere that's particularly painful?" She was honestly fishing in the dark here, but wanted to know at least what she was getting herself into.

He seemed to hesitate a moment before responding quietly. "Nobody has touched my wings before. I... I will try to hold them still, but they are very, _very_ sensitive and can act on their own somewhat. You can start wherever you want really. Just... don't stop once you've started. I don't know how long I can hold still and how long the drugs will work to be honest." Lucifer lowered his eyes. He braced himself for the pain, because if anybody would know how to handle pain, it would be the Devil. And he waited for the pills and alcohol to kick in, which, thanks to Chloe's presence, didn't take too long.

 _Nobody has ever touched his wings? He never let anyone close to him like that... He has never been this vulnerable. And yet, here he was, the Devil, exposing his back and crippled wings to_ me _, a simple, insignificant human being, one of over seven billion..._ Chloe suddenly felt small but also honoured, that he decided to let her be the first to touch his wings, especially under these circumstances. She made sure to move slowly so Lucifer wasn't startling, when she climbed on the bed behind him. Carefully she lifted one leg to settle it on his other side, straddling him at his waist. Now that she was right above him, she had a better perspective to take in the damage. From what she assumed, the wings worked pretty much like extra appendages, like a second set of arms, and he used them almost subconsciously. The main wing limb (she had no clue what this was called in angel-anatomy) that sprouted out of his back in between his shoulder blades, showed several grazes and some holes along the way towards the mid bow. She reached out with her right hand, placing it first on his lower back, so Lucifer could feel her, before slowly brushing it upwards and running her finger tips softly over the right wings limb.

Lucifer shivered beneath her touch and she was tempted to pull away, but saw that he relaxed even further into the mattress, which made her assume he was at least not in pain because of her touch, but it was rather soothing. With utmost care she began to move her fingers through the area of feathers close to the base and was completely awestruck at how soft and fluffy the tiny white feathers felt. It reminded her of the soft fur of rabbits, but this was more like she was able to touch a cloud. _Heaven_ , she thought, and smiled. _I'm touching the wings of an angel... wow... what a week._ Chloe moved on with her hand, assessing the injuries as best as she could before starting part two. The actual challenge. Taking out the bullets one after another. "Okay, I'm going to start." she said as she reached for the tweezers and a wet towel. Lucifer just nodded and placed his head back into the pillow. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought and lifted the first couple of small feathers to access the bullet hole beneath.

Lucifer inhaled sharply as he felt the cold metal digging mercilessly into his flesh, moving around, fishing for the blasted object stuck inside. The pain was excruciating, but he held back any form of sounds from escaping his throat, except for the heavy panting. He buried his face down in the pillow, holding onto the sheets next to his head with his knuckles turning white.

The first metallic sound of the night rang through the room as Chloe dropped the first bullet into a bowl on the nightstand. She had to hold back and force control over her gagging reflex as she dug into the muscular flesh, pushing away torn and crippled feathers. Hot blood made her fingers slippery, so she constantly needed to use the towels, which were quickly getting soaked.

 _Clack._

Soon after the first pierce into Lucifer's flesh, the drugs started to show their effects. They did take off the worst pain, but at the same time they made his body go completely nuts. He began to cramp, sweat and talk muffledly. His mind was fully hopped up. The next day he would insist to remember having held discussions with unicorns and fairies. However the effects, by some miracle he managed to not move his wings.

 _Clack._

A good hour passed by and Chloe had pulled out twentyfour bullets and Lucifer's bed looked like it had turned into the experimenting table from a horror movie. She had cleared up the base and mid area of both wings, but knew she perhaps was just about halfway through. Lucifer was covered in sticky cold sweat, having completely cramped up beneath her as he forced himself to stay put throughout the torturous procedure. How he was able to take so much pain without going mad, she had no idea, but she hated herself that she was the cause of even more pain as she pulled out all those damn bullets.

As Chloe continued to the outer parts of Lucifer's wings, the Devil started to squirm and as she pulled out another bullet with a forceful yank, he was unable to keep back a tormented scream erupting from deep within his chest. He arched into the mattress and rolled his head back into his neck, screaming miserably. His wings began to tremble and flinch away from her touch, flapping agitatedly. Chloe felt her blood turn into ice and her heart shatter at his screams and the sight in front of her. As he tried to wiggle his body out from beneath her, Chloe reached forward to gently stroke over Lucifer's head, neck and upper shoulder. She had to sooth him somehow. _How the hell could one sooth someone from enduring this torture?_ "Shh… I'm so sorry, Lucifer... I'm sorry..." she mumbled, her voice breaking. "We can take a break if you-"

"N-no… d'not... s-stop..." Lucifer grunted, trembling all over. "Det-t-tec...tive. Please... get 'em out..." A few moments passed and Chloe observed how his wings seemed to settle down once more as Lucifer forced himself to stay in control. "I try… not t' move..." He trembled, his teeth chattered and he quietly sobbed.

Chloe climbed to his left side to reach the remaining span of his left wing and continued with her procedure. As she dug into the flesh with the tweezer, Lucifer held his wings still, but screamed horridly into the pillow, which was just barely able to muffle his sounds. Chloe's hands trembled, but she forced herself to continue as Lucifer had asked her to. The pain would stop eventually, she told herself over and over again, while Lucifer cried out, winced and sobbed dolorously.

The drugs lost their effects eventually and Lucifer had to endure the ongoing procedure with the last remaining bits of his strength over his body and mind, unfiltered and clean. More and more bullet fragments piled up in the bowl and after a while Lucifer's screams had ebbed down into mere groans until even those ended. Whether it was from exhaustion, some weird shit hallucination he was suffering from or that he maybe had become numb to the pain and that it, whatever she was doing to him, felt all the same to him, she didn't know. He was exhausted and completely spent.

Chloe removed the remaining bullets from his right wing, with Lucifer not making a sound or move at all. The only thing that made him look alive was his fitful and shallow breathing. Once she was done with her horrible task, she took the vodka bottle and clean cloth from her side and began disinfecting the bullet wounds, cracks and torn tissue. There was no way she was able to help sewing this up, with nothing like that available in his tiny first aid kid, which he probably only kept for human visitors anyways. She carefully used a warm wet towel to get rid of what little blood she could, careful not to get too close to his wounds and tried her best to arrange his layers of feathers in the way she imagined them to be in their natural status.

As she moved her fingers through the feathers, Lucifer stirred and mumbled something incoherently but soon fell silent again. Perhaps he was dreaming. _Hopefully he's dreaming… Something nice to not feel the pain..._ Once satisfied with the layers, Chloe climbed off the bed and removed all the objects that were witness to her previous butchering. Then she sat back at the bedside looking at Lucifer who laid before her exhausted, bloodied and sweaty. His hair was a complete mess compared to how he usually styled it to perfection. Suddenly he looked old and defeated. _I did this to him… I'll probably go to hell for this…_ She reached out, slowly running her finger tips through his curly damp dark hair. Then she saw his lids flutter open and tired eyes looked back at her for a long quiet moment. It was hard to look at him. Hard to hold back tears. Hard to not feel like her precious soul had shattered during the last hours.

He had felt so much pain from cramping up and Chloe's procedure, he couldn't decipher which pain came from what area of his body. His body felt like being pulled through a meat grinder several times and every inch of him felt on fire. Until he felt something smooth tickling at the back of his head. It felt soothing and stood in complete contrast to the rough, edgy pain in his limbs. Forcing his eyes to open he saw Chloe hovering next to him, leaning slightly towards him, her hand gently brushing through his hair. A weak smile tugged at his lips. Oh she had no idea how good this felt. What a bliss! He let his tired eyes roam over her features and frowned, realizing her uneasy and tormented look. "A-are y-y-you... alright?" his voice was exhausted, low, throaty and hoarse.

Chloe blinked and stared back at Lucifer baffled. "What? Am I… what?" she breathed, shaking her head softly in disbelief, wiping away a trail of tears from her cheek. How could he think about her wellbeing, when he was the one soaking the sheets with blood? "The question is, are _you_ alright? The bullets are all out. You should just rest now." She gave him a gentle but weak smile, moving her hand to caress along his cheek. He was going to be alright, she thought. After all, he's Lucifer Morningstar.

"It'll... g-get better..." he breathed, validating her thoughts as if he had read her mind. Suddenly he felt her hand slip away, retreating from him. The thought of her leaving him, so that he would rest alone all by himself, crept up inside him, making him lean up a bit too quickly. He grunted, snatched her hand quickly but not with force and stared into her wide grey blue eyes. For a brief moment he just stared at her, his expression revealing his vulnerability. "S-Stay. Please?", was all he could manage to say as he felt far too weak and fatigued to speak coherent complex sentences.

The feel of his hand holding her wrist and the pleading voice were overwhelming her. She could see his eyes nervously flicker over her, trying to analyse whether or not she was going to stay or walk away from him. She could see the same worry in his eyes that she had seen in the gallery. He was afraid of her leaving him. Not just for now, but for good. How wrong he was. And it hurt her to realize how broken inside he was that his biggest fear was being rejected from her. She slowly nodded at him and gently slid her wrist out of his hold to caress over his knuckles in return. As he visibly relaxed and sighed in relief, Chloe raised from the bed, removed her holster, crumbled blouse, shoes and socks, before returning to his side. "You think you can make some room for me?" she asked with a light smile and motioned to him that he quite literally had taken up the full size of the bed, especially with enormous wings dangling to the sides.

Lucifer lifted his head looking from side to side briefly and with a heavy grunt somehow managed to scoot over a couple of inches. Carefully he felt into his left wing, starting to lift it only a little at first. As he felt able to raise the massive wing further, he made room on his side and looked at Chloe to get a sign whether or not this was okay for her. To his pleasant surprise, Chloe instantly sat down next to him and slid down on the black satin sheets along his side. His heart started to thud loudly. Then there was this odd feeling in his stomach again and he knew it couldn't have come from the drugs as they had stopped working almost an hour ago. Unconscious of his move, his wing gently lowered on top of Chloe, covering her from her chest downwards. A long moment of silence spread between them and Lucifer bathed in the beauty lying next to him. "Thank y-you..."

She took in a deep breath, trying to let loose of the tension that still stuck in her every muscle and as the massive wing laid down on her, she couldn't help but feel a weight lifted off her shoulder. As if the mere touch of the feathers on her skin made her feel warm, safe and sound. They truly felt heavenly, she thought, smiling inwardly and snuggling a bit closer to Lucifer. His open gaze at her, made her blush and she felt awkwardly special at the appreciating look from him. She lowered her head, thinking that she could not stand to look at him any longer, without rushing things she might regret later on. She knew she needed time to process, but wanted to make it clear to him that she wasn't going to leave him. Carefully she moved up her right arm and slipped it around his neck, to play with his dark curls once more, lightly scratching his neck in the process.

His response was immediate as he felt her caress. A soft purr rumbled in the back of his throat, his lips lifting into a light smile. "Mmmm..." he murmured and his left wing made a slight curling twitch, pushing Chloe closer against him before the wing wrapped tighter around her side, wrapping her up much like a blanket. It only took mere seconds before Lucifer's eyes close, his body far too exhausted to stay awake, and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

It took Chloe by surprise to suddenly be pressed close against Lucifer, but then again, she realized she wouldn't want it any other way and she couldn't feel any safer. Nuzzling against the side of his chest, she listened to his heartbeat and breathing that thankfully was becoming more regular, before eventually she drifted off to sleep from exhaustion as well.

* * *

 ** **Song that Lucifer covered into a piano-version: To Be With You In Heaven by Scorpions  
I simply imagine, that because Luci is a virtuoso at the piano, he has no trouble covering that rock song into something softer, more romantic ;)** **


	5. Eyes That Kill

Eyes That Kill

 ** **Chapter Title/Song by**** **CooBee Coo  
**

 **Thank you everyone for the nice comments, favs and follows! I feel very happy that you enjoy the story :) I will release the next Chapter on Thursday and give you a VERY special treat on Sunday to enjoy for the Christmas week. That is because I wanted to give you something special and also as a small compensation, because during the upcoming Christmas week I will be driving around a lot to meet family and friends, celebrating of course. So after 23rd, I will post again in the new year directly feeding you with a fresh new chapter on January1st! So basically two special days & chapters for you to enjoy :D Thank you again for your time and now enjoy the day after! ;)**

* * *

She woke up to a rumbling and shuffling sound, making her startle.

"Oh bloody hell, not _again_!"

With a yawn Chloe tore her eyes open, gazing up in shock at Lucifer, who sat kneeling in the bed next to her. His wings twitched and had spread widely throughout the bedroom. As she looked from left to right, she noticed the blinds at the windows were ruffled and torn, the wall had a small crack and the little lamp from the nightstand laid broken on the floor.

"I bloody _hate_ those damned mahoosive nuisances!" Lucifer grumbled angrily and annoyed.

Chloe looked Lucifer over. His hair was a mess, ruffled up in all directions. His five o'clock shadow had turned into an overgrown beard and his eyes showed the exhaustion from the previous days still. Clearing her throat, she reached out to gently touch Lucifer's lower arm, as he was looking over his shoulder, to assess the damage he had caused. "Hey." she spoke with a sweet smile.

"Wha- oh! Hey... pardon the unintentional reconstruction work..." he apologized, turning to her with a shy smile with a hint of mischief. "You did an excellent job on the wings, dear. All dandy, thanks to your delicate, caring hands."

Chloe couldn't hold back a laugh at his cheesy words and was happy for the lightness that he greeted her with. She looked over his shoulders, trying to inspect his healing process. "Are they healed already?"

"What? No… I mean, the open wounds are healing, yes, but the broken and pulled feathers will need some time. In a day or two the broken ones fall off and a couple more days will pass until new ones grow." he explained to her. "They should be all back to their usual glory within a week."

Images from her nightly procedure filled her mind and she shivered, then she frowned as a strange memory hit her. "What… what was that thing coming out from the feathers and the wingbones? It was… it… it was sort of… "

"Liquid-ish and shiny?" he helped her, noticing her brain seemed stuck. "It's my divinity. My light."

She blinked. _His… divinity?_ "What does that even mean? You... were... bleeding light?"

"It's what my being is made out of. It's essence, you could say." When he saw her eyes widen in shock he quickly added, "Don't worry, the leaks already stopped, I just checked when I was startling you…"

Chloe visibly relaxed, although his explanation was hard for her to process. His physical body didn't consist of just his human looks, but there were things to him that she couldn't begin to imagine and understand. Scooting up, she rose to her knees like he had done and placed both palms against his cheeks.

The move made Lucifer swallow and instantly freeze. What the hell was wrong with him!? When she was doing those things to him... Her deep, mesmerizing eyes like the endless ocean gazing right through his shell and into the depths of his very soul. Her cheeks so sweetly blushing to the faintest rosy colour, while her full lips slightly opened up, so inviting... His mind was reeling and his heart was racing so madly that he was afraid she might hear it. While he wanted to say something smart and cheeky, he simply had no words.

Suddenly he felt oddly reminded of their talk three days ago, when he had openly and honestly spoken about his feelings and about him being the Devil. That was _before_ she had seen him. And now? He frowned, his eyes beginning to search hers for an answer to a question he didn't want to ask or to be answered really. But he needed to know. "Why didn't you run away?" he breathed. "You _saw_ me. You _know_ what I am... So why haven't you-"

But Chloe just shook her head softly. "I told you. So, yes, you are the Devil. But that's not _who_ you are to me, Lucifer." She hoped for him to see that she was truthful to him, that she had realized, it all didn't matter to her, because her feelings for him were beyond looks and words. She had read so much about what the Devil is supposedly like and what he supposedly had done, but she couldn't combine it with the person that she had come to love over the past three years. "And I'm not afraid of you. How could I be?"

"But I _saw_ your expression, when you saw my face. You were _scared_ of me." He sighed, lowering his head. That look on her face, her wide eyes, her trembling body, her thundering heartbeat – all if it was burned deeply into his memory, scarring and taunting him whenever thinking about her. "Everyone is scared of the Devil. And everyone runs away, eventually."

"I wasn't scared of _you_ , Lucifer. I was scared of what this all _means_. No matter what is said about you, you're not evil. And I am not going to run away."

"You don't know the things I did." His voice began to shake. "You would be terrified if you knew."

"The majority of the things you did that I witnessed in the past three years, are making you a good person. And-"

"But I'm not a _person_!" he exclaimed emphatically. His jaw tightened as he refused her assumptions about him. "And I'm far from being considered _good_ and even further from being an angel, just because of those blasted things on my back!"

"That's what you think, Lucifer, because of what everyone else thinks of you for since all those years, but that doesn't make it the reality. Just because you're labelled as something, doesn't mean you are. You're not a bad person. And you're _not_ evil." She took a deep breath, feeling as tears threatened to well up. "You're caring and loving to those that you think deserve it and that is exactly how it should be. You go through lengths to help others and give with a selflessness that is looking for a match yet to be found. And beneath your facade of silly jokes and sexual remarks, you're the most honourable and thoughtful man I know."

That made Lucifer pull away from her hands, gazing at her in disbelief. After a moment of silence he cleared his throat, his look becoming hard. He needed the wall, his facade. Needed to be on grounds he had come to know over all these thousands of years. He needed the security of impending doom, because it was all he knew, all he could handle. And _feeling_ meant to feel the whole package. "Still, it doesn't change _what_ I am. What I was designed to be. It doesn't change the fact that I killed a human, that I deserve nothing else, but being the Devil, vilified, for all eternity."

Chloe felt her heart tearing apart at his words. Over all those thousands of years, he had been made responsible for all the evil in the world, that it was all his doing, his fault, that he actually thought he deserved it all and that this was how it should be. She thought about God and what he had let happen to him. If the descriptions which she had found bore any truth: How could a father let this happen to his most beloved son? How was He just?

Vehemently she shook her head in anger at Lucifers words and at the damage that had been done to him. "Stop it. Stop it, Lucifer" she sobbed, raising her hands once more to get a hold onto his face, making him look at her. "Stop pushing me away. Stop believing this nonsense. I refuse to see you that way. I've had enough of what others say or write about you. I want to hear _you_. I want for you to stay and talk to me. And don't you even dare talking me out of it or avoiding me!" she cried her last words, staring back at him with determination. As she saw his eyes shifting from uneasiness and nervosity, filled with doubt and worry, she raised up slightly and climbed up on his lap, straddling him. Now she was mere centimetres away from his face and felt his muscles tense as her weight gently added to his own. "You won't run away again or push me away from you, you hear me Lucifer Morningstar?" Her heart ached madly as she leaned forward, resting her forehead against his, sharing once again a closeness and intimacy with him that she wanted to indulge in so much further, but knew, he needed to accept it first and show that he wanted it just the same.

He couldn't speak. His throat felt tight and hoarse at the same time while he felt a heavy tearing inside his chest as well as a strange dampness on his left cheek. How was his sweet Detective so determined to stand with the Devil? To not run? To not hate him? To think of him so highly? Was she turning delusional after all or was she actually speaking the truth? Perhaps a truth he had long forgotten to acknowledge and was now no more able to perceive, blinded from millennia of hate towards him from the rest of existence? Whether that was divine or just human. They all looked down on him. All but her. The words she spoke with such devotion made his heart swell with pride and self-esteem long forgotten and as he felt her climb onto him, his arms immediately slung around her petite, slender body, holding her gently, yet for dear life. His anchor.

Nuzzling his nose against hers he sighed quietly in a strengthless, but happy defeat. There was nobody in this universe that he trusted more than her. "I won't." he spoke lowly. A promise. "But... I don't know what to do, Chloe..." There was so much to explain, so much he wanted for her to know, yet there were also numerous things he hoped for her to never ask, so he would not need to tell her. But this was his Detective. She would ask. Because she was smart, she would want to know. Everything. Until her mind would be satisfied. And he would never lie to her. _No more going backwards, wasn't it?_

Chloe exhaled with a sobbing small laugh, caressing over Lucifer's stubbled cheeks. He accepted letting her stay, and she was beyond relieved. She knew he was nervous and scared of what was to come, of all the things known and unknown to them that still laid in the future. But she also knew that they were both capable of handling those things. One at a time. Together.

Softly she leaned further in until her lips met his and her universe imploded. Everything around her blurred out into darkness and all she knew was him. His hands on her back holding her against him slightly tightened when his surprise washed away and he finally responded to her kiss. She was overwhelmed by the immense heat surging through her whole body when Chloe melted into Lucifer's lips and embrace. They had barely had any intimate contact and she already felt in a bliss she hadn't felt for an eternity. This was going fast! _Too damn fast!_ Before she had to fight her own body and mind to part from him, Lucifer tenderly pecked her lips a last time and leaned back, looking at her.

"Well, I suppose we can always do _that_." he mused, smiling his million dollar smile that would make every woman sigh and fall straight into his bed. His dark eyes took in her visage. He could see how flustered she was, hear her heavy breathing, feel her light trembling, see her dilated pupils as if she was intoxicated. And he knew she was. By him. But he was also aware that he was in quite the same state she was in and he also knew that given her perfect observation skills, she would notice. And he didn't mind.

Although she instantly lacked the feel of him, she looked him over just the same as he did with her. Lucifer looked dishevelled but still adorable. _And very much turned on._ She blushed at that thought and pushed her hair aside. "How about a shower and breakfast?" she said with a brighter smile, feeling her stomach responding immediately. The past few days had taken their toll on her as she had mostly lived off from coffee, tea and a small amount of fast food.

At the mention of a shower Lucifer rolled his shoulders and his massive white wings retreated into his back, leaving behind a very baffled Chloe. Seeing her reaction he chuckled. "Sorry, dear. Humans can have a bit of a hard time grasping divinity and the feelings that come along with it when they see it... Or touch it, in your case." he added the last part with a more husky voice, remembering all too well the delight tingling sensation that the touch of her hands on his wings had caused (blocking out the pain he had felt that moment, that is). He helped her climb off him and got off the bed with her. As he got up he suddenly noticed dark dried shapes on the sheets. Glancing over into the open bathroom attached to the bedroom, he could see blood-smeared towels and a bowl in the sink. His smile narrowed with concern and guilt. Reaching for Chloe's hands he took them into his and swallowed when he saw the dried blood still stuck under her fingernails and on her skin. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this..." he whispered, stroking over her slender fingers.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, please. I wanted to help. It was my choice. Besides, you took the bullets because of me-"

"Don't you even start taking the blame here!" he interrupted her sternly. "You might be the Detective in this room, but you won't argue with the Devil. At least not when looking this dishevelled and especially not on an empty stomach. Not on my watch. How about you take a nice long shower and I'll get some breakfast ready, okay?"

"I'm not gonna complain about the suggestion, but it looks like the Devil is in need of some product and a razor," she returned smugly, turning from him and heading towards his bathroom. As she noticed he wasn't following but rather staring back at her, his mouth agape, she adds. "I'm not going to ask twice-"

And Lucifer was right by her side. "The Devil doesn't need second invitations, sweetheart. And strictly speaking, you didn't ' _ask_ ' at all..." he chimed lightly with a grin as they entered the bathroom. Without further ado he got rid of his remaining clothes from the previous day and snickered at a nervous looking Detective. "Oh come on! We've seen each other in birthday suits before. And you've certainly got nothing to be ashamed of since Hot Tub-"

"Lucifer! Get in the damn shower, will you?" she grumbled with an eyeroll. Her cheeks had turned bright pink in an instant, having seen Lucifer undress without hesitation. How did he have no ounce of decency when it came to nudity? Sure, having been alive for millennia was probably helping with that, but really? She watched him shrug and step into the shower as a thought crossed her mind. "What about your wings? I mean... I couldn't really clean them up last night and... sure, your shower is big, but not _that_ big."

Lucifer turned on the water. "Another reason why they are such a bloody bother!" he grumbled and sighed. "Don't worry, I'll just take a dip in the ocean tomorrow night. Or some waterfall."

"Oh... that... sounds like a plan." she stuttered a bit in awe and wondered where the heck the waterfall was. She slowly got out her shirt, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and black panties. A few minutes passed by, as she felt the need to gather her courage to step into the shower as well. _Oh come on! Are you a teenager?!_ She inhaled deeply, opened the shower door and stepped inside behind Lucifer.

"I thought you might have changed your mind..." He turned to look at her and stepped aside a little to let her in on the hot spray of water. "...but I'm glad you didn't." He smiled tenderly at her, as his eyes glanced over her body unabashed. _Does she have any idea how divine she looks?_ _Heaven-sent, indeed._ _And the embodiment of pure temptation..._ He swallowed, having to hold back his own urges before they would be impossible to oversee.

 _Right, do something, Decker! Anything. Something practical. And not look at him like a sex-deprived single that wants to jump his bones any second now! He's already staring right back at you! DO SOMETHING! NOW!_ She scolded herself and quickly reached for the washcloth hanging to the side. "May I help with your back?"

"That would be kind, thanks." He slightly turned halfway and gasped at the sudden sensation on his shoulder blade. It was odd. Like a surge of energy coursing through his back. At first he wasn't sure where it came from or why, but then he remembered it was the same feeling he had the night before, when Chloe had placed her hand on his back in between his wings. His skin felt highly sensitive, not having been touched with intimacy and gentleness for eons. The former tension that had crept up inside him, soon faded under Chloe's gentle strokes and he found himself resting his head against the showers wall, mumbling incoherent words of relaxation.

Chloe remembered the first time she had laid eyes on Lucifer's back, when he so proudly showed off his wonderfully sculpted body in attempts to impress her and perhaps make them ruffle his bedsheets during a 'good nights shag' as he would call it. The scars on his back were gone now and only perfect skin was visible. He had told her that his wings somehow had grown back and that his dad was probably responsible. God gave him his wings back? Well, it certainly would have been a nice gesture after having been such a gigantic dick towards his son in the past. As she had cleaned his back from the remains of the previous nights medical intervention, she motioned him to turn back to her. She had so many questions that began to crawl up again to the surface in her mind. _Had he been a little baby angel? Had he been chubby like those little figures? What powers does he have, except from the whole desire thingy? Which doesn't work on me. Exclusively. That's irritating, to say the least, but… thinking back, he had been especially confused about it. And his family? How many angels were there? I had assumed Charlotte was his step mom, but... Holy crap, did God have a wife?_ Her mind was rotating and Lucifer easily picked up on her being miles away.

"You know, think just a bit louder and faster and I'm sure you can break the baffle." He had taken the washcloth from her hand and raised an arm to tenderly lay around her and over her collarbone. With a light pull he gestured her to turn her back towards him and let her recline back against his chest. "I know you have a lot of questions on your mind. Feel free to ask. I'll try to answer as best as I can." _Although hopefully they won't be weird questions regarding Hitler. I've had quite enough of that nut job for another lifetime._

She had been so deep in thought, she didn't fully notice as Lucifer guided her to turn. Only when she felt her nude body rest back against his, she tensed momentarily, feeling the heat of desire rush to her core. But she noticed as Lucifer began to move the washcloth over her arms and stomach, even over her breasts, he was doing it with great affection, however not to build up sexual tension. Due to this, she was able to relax into his touch, knowing he was not going to turn it into anything further without her consent. She thought once more about all the things she was keen to know more about. After a while, she said "So... there really is heaven and hell. And you're an angel-"

"A _fallen_ angel." he corrected and began to massage her shoulders.

"Mmm... a fallen angel. And the Devil. That's an interesting combination." she turned her head, smiling lightly. "Is it true you had a different name when you were in heaven?"

He swallowed hard, his movement slowing down for a few seconds. "I ...I had indeed." he answered shortly, clearing his throat again. _So this is her first question? Really? My name? Why was this so interesting? Dr. Linda had picked up on my former name as well and I really didn't enjoy the way things had been going down from there on._

"I suppose you changed it because of the whole thing with your-" she broke off when she suddenly felt insecure about continuing. She had read about the meaning of his name. Wrath of God. What kind of father would name his son giving it this meaning!? And she had read about his rebellion. About the war that followed. The fight between him and Michael. And how he had been cast out of heaven and thrown into hell for eternity. She realized there were several good reasons for him to have changed his name.

"My fall. Yes." he finished for her, noticing her uneasiness. "It was a relict and praise to something and someone I wanted nothing to do with anymore, so I changed it." He returned to stroke over her sides and arms, this time focusing more on her hands to clean them from the remaining blood.

She could feel the pain that stuck with this topic and felt to postpone it to another time. There was so much more about the whole topic of his fall that she wanted to know. But from the way he responded and the way he had always spoken about his past, she wanted to give it the appropriate situation to talk about it and here it certainly wasn't. "How did you disappear in the gallery? You were gone all of a sudden. Did you… fly?" she changed the topic.

He couldn't hold back a sudden laugh. "Well no, I didn't fly. I was slightly incapacitated due to the amount of lead stuck in my body and too busy coughing blood. I prayed to Amenadiel to come and get me out of the gallery." He knew he was withholding the reason as to why he was actually vulnerable in the first place and why it mattered so much to get out and mainly away from _her_ in order to not die on the spot.

Chloe frowned. This explanation raised more questions than it actually answered. He prayed for his brother to come? So Amanadiel was an angel as well. You could really pray to angels?! She remembered having seen him pray before in the precinct, where he had stood in the corner, hands folded in a silent prayer. So it really worked, she assumed. "How come I didn't see him take you away?" She turned towards him, but letting him continue cleaning her hands.

"Amenadiel has the power to bend time. He slowed it down so much that barely a second passed while he was there. That way he could stay unseen as he took me, flew me out and brought me home."

"And why did he bring you here? I mean... you were bleeding to death, why was taking you here so much better than say the nearest hospital?"

"Well... that's... I needed to..." he began but broke off for a moment to think for a better response. "I can't really be treated in hospitals. My body might seem human, but it really isn't. Doctors wouldn't have been able to help me, since... well they cannot take out bullets from angel wings which are hidden on another dimensional plane, can they?" He gave her a slight smile, not sure if this was sufficient as an answer.

Chloe nodded understandingly. Sure thing you couldn't show off wings and perhaps a Devil face to doctors, expecting them to stay sane and do their job on a matter their tiny minds wouldn't be able to properly comprehend. But she noticed that Lucifer once again was making fun on a matter she found to be way more serious and thus, she knew there was more to it. She softly took his wrists in her hands, holding him in place as she looked back at him. "What else? What are you not telling?" she asked softly, searching in the pair of dark brown eyes that felt like an abyss and there was no end to find once you'd start falling into them.

He felt his chest tighten at her question and the look in her eyes. She was cautious and thoughtful. Smart and headstrong. And he held her up high on her virtues and strengths, even though he knew that they could and probably would be his downfall someday. "Chloe..." How was he to open Pandora's box and tell her about her existence? That God himself wanted for her to exist, that the almighty bastard had possibly some grand plan nobody knew anything about and it evolved around Chloe and Lucifer? No. To tell her about her true origins, being created through God's will,... this was just too much for the moment to digest for a humans mind, he decided. He knew however, he had to tell her. He was withholding something from her, because he decided to and he hated that. He would tell her. Just not now… "I told you... apparently you make me vulnerable." he continued cautiously. "You... make me mortal, for a reason I am not entirely sure of. That's why I needed to get away from you in the gallery." He looked back at her worryingly, wondering what this information would cause.

"I... what? I make you mortal?" she breathed as images of him flashed up in her mind when he had pushed her to shoot him. He had been so determined about his immortality and all of a sudden he had stared back at her in shock, his leg bleeding, not sure of what was happening to him. Suddenly a thought hit her and tears welled up in her eyes. "Is that why you left? Because I make you mortal and you were worried you could die around me?"

His eyes widened. "What? No, no! That's not why I left!" he quickly tried to assure her and sighed. "Please, Chloe, I'm not worried about my mortality around you. At first it was strange, because… I was new to that concept, but now I couldn't care any less." He lifted his arms, tenderly laying his palms to her cheeks and stroking his thumbs over her wet rosy cheeks as the water cascaded over their bodies. "I enjoy every second I get to spend with you, my dear."

She swallowed down the lump in her throat, melting into his gentle touch with a heavy sigh. She knew he wouldn't lie to her. He never had. Only bluff and bend the truth to a certain degree to fit the situation. Right now, she felt and saw that he was as honest with her as he could be and that made her feel better. "Okay." she simply replied, nodding lightly and offering him a believing smile.

When they had finished their shower and dried in the most fluffy towels Chloe had ever felt, she suddenly recalled that she had no fresh clothes to change into. So she slipped back into her jeans and was about to put on her top and blouse when Lucifer gave her an offended look.

"Seriously? Give me that!" He quickly snatched the clothes from her hands. "You're not going to wear blood soaked clothes when I can help it."

"Lucifer, I'm really not in the mood to put on leftover clothes from any of your female overnight guests." Chloe groaned, trying to hold back the rise of jealousy that suddenly rushed through her at the thought of Lucifer still being the stallion she knew him to be.

"But- They honestly are all clean and would really fit your delicate shape. It's not like they are-" he stopped abruptly when he saw her vicious stare. _Oookay. So_ that's _the boundary..._ "Alright then... Well if I cannot offer you any feminine clothes at least take a fresh shirt from mine, will you?" Before she could debate him, he quickly dipped into his walk-in closet and together with a fresh set of clothes for himself, took out a black dress shirt from his stack and handed it to her with a grin.

She glanced at him. _Damn his cheeky grin and his all hot steamy body and... oh._ She had completely overheard his compliment before. Her pulse was skyrocketing again in an instant, and in a rush, she put on his shirt. Lucifer however, seemed to bathe in the moment, his eyes grazing over her shape lasciviously and she blushed even further. Chloe eventually cleared her throat, noticing a certain change with Lucifer's body. As he didn't react, she rolled her eyes again and sent him a pointed glare towards his groin.

"Hm?" His brows rose to his hairline as he looked at her expectantly until he understood her look and he snickered lightly. "Oh! Sorry! Well, no not really of course, I mean... That's what you do to me, darling. But I do get the gist..." _This woman is driving me crazy! Looking so sinfully delicious and hot as hell so to speak! Unbelievable how often she has given me blue balls, but I would never want to drop the banter between us for anything in the world._ If it was genuine and based on friendship of course, even though he was curious how she was actually feeling about him, with his devilish side being revealed. He quickly slipped in his black satin boxers and put on the rest of his clothing for the day: Black dress pants, light grey shirt and a black vest on top. He took care of his grooming, until he was back to his usual presentable perfection. Then he darted for the kitchen and started preparing breakfast for them. A little feast was the order of the day.


	6. Feel Safe

Feel Safe

 ** **Chapter Title/Song by**** **All We Are**

 **Thank you again for the lovely comments :) Enjoy todays' chapter. Remember, you'll get a special Christmas treat/chapter on Sunday ;)**

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"So... you said you prayed to your brother. Does that mean you can hear prayers as well?" She looked at him curiously, taking a sip from her cup of coffee he had prepared.

His eyebrows seemed to dissolve up into his hairline as he stared back at her. "Why on earth would you think that?!"

"What? I thought... you know... there are some psychos praying to the Devil perhaps…?" she explained casually with a shrug and then noticed how that might have sounded rather bad when talking to the actual Devil himself. Lucifer's expectant and slightly offended look at her, waiting for further words from her only made her ramble on. "I mean... not that you attract psychos or that-" _Oh shit… What the hell am I doing!?_

And then he started to laugh. So free of any restrictions, she was actually infected by it. He was playing her. "You really fell into the Devil's trap quite easily I gotta say. Didn't think you would. But don't worry. Most of the people that have seen the Devil instantly are begging for forgiveness for all their sins and not have the guts to take a hot steamy shower with him." He wiggled his eyebrows with a snicker. "So… you are forgiven my dear Detective. But on a more serious note, well... I guess praying to me wouldn't really work. I am the Devil, not an angel."

"But that's not true." Chloe stated matter-of-factually with a shake of her head, moving closer to him. "You _are_ an angel. A fallen one, as you explained. So, in a way, you are still an angel. Humor me. How does this work? I fold my hands and call out for you like you'd be in the next room or something?"

Lucifer sighed. Of course she somewhat had a point there, but really. He didn't feel nor did he want to be anything like his feathered siblings. To think he had anything else in common with his heavenly brothers and sisters than a set of wings was preposterous! Turning the omelet in the pan leisurely, he shrugged. "Your parents really never sent you to Sunday school, did they? You can speak a prayer out loud or in your mind. It doesn't matter as long as you direct your prayer towards the angel who should hear you, obviously. It's as if you're thinking about something very hard. Like when you do your detecting at work and you focus and have this expression on your face."

Chloe looked at him while he busied himself with the breakfast. She started to focus, like he had put it, the same as she did when she was at work, trying to figure something out. In her mind, she repeatedly shouted out his name, however that is mentally possible, again and again. _Lucifer? Lucifer?! Come on, can you hear me? Ugh… this is ridiculous... Lucifer!? Chloe to Lucifer, can you hear me? Hello!?_

He didn't notice her intense stare for several moments, but immediately stopped dead track once he saw her yedi-like gaze. "Oh you've got to be kidding me! You're not seriously trying to pray to me, are you?!"

She flailed her hands in defeat and sighed. "So I guess that means it didn't work..."

He waved around with the spatula in hand, raising a brow mockingly. "Told you so. Fallen angel. No more angel. Devil. Ergo: No prayer possible." he responded casually, unmoved by the unsuccessful attempt.

But that didn't make her drop the whole topic as she had another idea. She watched him intently as he put the food on the plates, decorating them with ease. _Samael? Maybe it works like this. Hey?! Can you hear me now, Samael? Chloe to Samael, hellooo?_

He suddenly froze and his eyes widened, whispering, "What the hell?" He turned around and stared back at her in complete shock. "Stop. Don't..." His voice quietly trembled and his mind felt strange. He could hear her voice in his head loud and clear, leaving behind a soft ringing sound, like tiny far away bells. _How is that even possible?_ He swallowed thickly, feeling an unnerving tension in his chest and a twitching sensation in his back coming from his wings hidden on the light plane. He started at her with his mouth agape. _How the bloody hell can I hear a prayer?_ _One directed at me, no! The old me, no! It is not only the old me, it is a completely different being, damn it! Is this some celestial prank of Dear Old Dad?! Or maybe the Detective has yet another strange power over me, that no other human has..._ This name however, it built up an instant rage inside him he had carefully buried since the last mention of it in Dr. Linda's session.

 _Samael... so it's true. This really is your angel name. You are Samael..._ Chloe thought on, not really paying attention that she was still in prayer. _Samael the Lightbringer..._

"I said STOP IT! That is NOT my name anymore!" Lucifer literally roared, towering over her in an instant with his eyes lighting ablaze with the raging fires of hell. He panted in blind rage, but the moment he saw Chloe make a step back, the fire died again and his expression became devastated, realizing what he had done. "I… No… I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to… I..." _What the bloody hell have I done?_ "I'm so… so sorry-"

She had flinched and unconsciously taken a step back. She hadn't expected such kind of reaction from him, but then she realized she didn't really know much about the things Lucifer connected with that name. "It's okay." She reached up and gently caressed his cheek. "I won't say it again, if you don't want to, Lucifer." She used his name on purpose and gave him a reassuring smile, letting him know she wasn't going to hold this against him in any way and that she wasn't backing away from him either. "Let's eat. I feel like I'm starving."

Lucifer closed his eyes, the rage immediately dissolving when he heard Chloe's calming words and felt her slender fingers caressing his cheek. How was she doing that? How was she doing _any of that_? Did his Dad perhaps give her a celestial skill set to mess around with him? But in the end, what did it matter? He knew what he felt for her, no matter where she came from, no matter what she was able to do to him. He nodded at her suggestion and brought the plates, freshly pressed orange juice, a bowl with various fruits, and a pot of coffee to the dining table.

They ate in silence for a while, enjoying the tastes, feeling their weak spirits growing stronger and more awake. Chloe was especially indulging in the good food, since the previous days she had not felt able to eat much after everything that happened. Eventually they were both happily sated.

"Have you been to every country on the planet?" Chloe suddenly asked, taking a sip from her coffee.

"In a way... I suppose. Not so much since it's this populated." he explained, piling up their dirty dishes.

"What do you mean, 'in a way'? When have you last been for a big world tour?" she laughed at her own little joke, amazed that she meant this quite literally.

"When I sculpted the terrain of the planet." he responded flatly.

She almost spilled her coffee as she coughed. Almost. "You what?!"

He moisturized his lips, thinking on how to best explain. "I formed the surface of the earth. _Terraforming_ so to speak. You know, graze some valleys, raise hills, flood rivers here, spread some trees there. That kind of stuff."

"Are you… tricking me again? Because... wow... that's..." she leaned back into her seat, her mind wandering. _Wow…_ "You made earth look the way it is today?"

He shrugged lightly, bringing the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. "Well not today. Round about 5 billion years ago give or take a few thousand, but, yeah, in a nutshell, I suppose you could say that. Once done with the sculpting, earth was basically left to itself to take care of it."

The full spectrum of what Lucifer talked about was just slowly sinking in bit by bit and every now and then new conclusions shot up in her mind like fireworks. "How old are you exactly? I mean... can you even tell?"

"That's rather tricky to answer. You see... there was no concept of time when I was created. Only when Dear Old Dad started experimenting with lifeforms, time was starting to become a thing. I mean... we were all immortal so the idea of time really made no sense." He could see the cogs in Chloe's mind working extra hours to grasp everything that he told her, so he decided it was probably enough for now. "Darling, don't be too quick and harsh to your brain. I know you love to get to the bottom of this but celestial matters are said to not mingle with human matters for a reason. It's a lot to take in and many things are just... too hard to grasp, really. No offense."

"Yeah... yeah I guess..." she stuttered, her glance going through him for a moment. "I guess you're right."

"My, my! I hope I didn't break your smart little brain there! Let's rather focus on more... earthly matters, shall we? Did you make any plans for the next few days?" He locked at her expectantly.

"You mean aside from interrogating the hell out of the Devil?" She gave him a small smile which he returned with a sheepish grin of his and a snicker at her pun. "Erm... well I had some things I wanted to do next time I'd have a day off. I should probably get some paperwork done which-"

"Whoa hold on there!" he interrupted, raising his hands. "Paperwork is _not_ something _nice_ to deal with on your _day off_. There are people in hell forced to do paperwork, okay? So drop the dead boring stuff and get to the nice things already! Live a little!" he exclaimed wildly gesturing at her.

"Okay okay! Sooo... I guess I could maybe do some grocery-"

"Oh, this is baloney!" he interrupted her with a glare. "Hold on just a moment, darling." He took out his cellphone, typing for a minute. There were things he had thought to take care of, in case she would be busy doing... fun things. For example he wanted to get a full cleanup done for his penthouse and speak to his accountant about any expenses regarding Charlotte's funeral. So, now he took care of it all with some quick texts and eventually looked back at her. "Alright, stop lollygagging. Let's get going."

"Wha- where?" Her eyes shot open widely.

"Surprise!" He grabbed his car keys from the counter, put on his suit jacket and went to the elevator in wide strides.

"Lucifer! Wait!"

"Well, chop chop!" he looked at her expectantly and held open the elevator door. Eventually, Chloe followed him. She really needed to loosen up a little and have something to smile about. Especially after the past few days... weeks. Months, if he was honest. Ever since that damn immortal imbecile stepped into their lives. So, he decided they both could use a break from it all. Something to laugh about. Anything that would make her radiate a smile from head to toe would be a plus.

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"Okay, you promise that you're not really kidnapping me, right?" The air ruffled her hair into her face and she had given up already to keep it away from her lips.

"I promise, yes." he answered gently with a light laugh. Oh he enjoyed to keep her in the dark and have her squirm a little.

"And when can I finally take of the blindfold?" she whined softly.

"It's coming off in about five minutes. Just be patient a little longer, darling. Nothing to be afraid of."

She snickered and tried to hide a smile tugging at her lips.

"What?" he asked irritated and looked at her, even though he knew she couldn't see.

"Just... it kinda sounds funny for the Devil to say that."

"Funny? Ha ha." he lightly mocked her. "You know I've never lied to you."

"Yes, I know. I trust you." she smiled and reached to fumble on her necklace, forgetting that he was probably observing her as she did. Of course he noticed it and couldn't help but smile as well.

The drive had been going for almost two hours with Lucifer going at least 110 mph. Only since the last half hour, he had told her to put on a tie he brought with them as a blindfold, not wanting her to get a glimpse of where he was taking her. Eventually they came to a halt. Lucifer quickly helped her out of the car and pulled her softly towards him.

"Right. So here comes another trust moment." he spoke towards her ear. "Just... one last time, I promise." And with that he scooped her up into his arms.

Surprised at his move, Chloe slipped her arms around his neck, holding onto him, not really enjoying the feel of loss of orientation and lack of ground under her feet. "Lucifer…?!"

"Hold on tight, my sweet Detective. It's over in about two seconds."

The next thing she felt was a soft blow of wind in her face and then she felt weightless, air rushing roughly past her for a brief moment. She tightened her hold onto his neck having a flashback to the gallery, where she had the exact same feeling lingering subconsciously stuck in her mind. _Holy shit! I'm flying!_ And as quick as it started it already was over again. She needed a few seconds for her ears to adjust to her surrounding. There was a loud rushing sound, like water really close by, and she could smell a natural freshness in the air. Slowly Lucifer set her down on her feet and turned her around, pressing her back against his chest. She quickly held onto the arm that wrapped around her waist, enjoying the feeling of security that he gave her.

"Ready?" he asked, and when she nodded, he used his free hand to free her from the blindfold.

Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp at the sight in front of her. They were standing on a little island of stones that bordered a half-circle lake. Right in front of them, there was a massive cliff that went up at least 40 yards. It was covered with moss and small plants. But the most impressive thing was the countless waterfalls rushing over the top ledges, coming out of the cliff itself, in some places. It looked magical. The water was crystal clear and around the beautiful spot, a dense forest surrounded it, giving it a mysterious atmosphere.

As Lucifer glanced over her shoulder to see her face, he noticed her stare. "Well?" he probed.

"This is... I... wow. This is gorgeous, Lucifer!" she breathed, finally smiling brightly. She looked back at him, slipping up a hand to palm his stubbled cheek. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Glad you appreciate it. I thought I could share this little refuge of mine. I haven't been here for quite a while. Must be a few hundred years, but it really hasn't changed much." He smiled at her endearingly when a sudden gust, brushed a rush of waterfall water towards them. Without a thought, his wings quickly moved to surround Chloe, covering her from the unwelcomed shower.

"Oh! Thanks!" she giggled and brushed her hands against the soft feathers in front of her, moving through them row after row. "Mmm... they are really beautiful, Lucifer..." she whispered and looked back at the scenery. "Just like this. Here. And you did this. Thank you... this is amazing."

"I…" he paused, surprised by her gratitude. "You're welcome, I suppose. Thinking about it, nobody ever thanked me for- Mmmm..." Lucifer's eyes closed in relaxation at the gentle caress of his wing, having a flashback of his own to the previous night. "Mmm... You did this before." he spoke quietly. "I was pretty out last night but... I remember your hands doing this. You... you were _grooming_ me." he pointed out, looking at her baffled. His perplexed expression faded and a genuine smile spread over his lips. "That was lovely." He saw her blush at his words. "What do you say about some skinny dipping? I could finally get those blasted dirt collectors clean again."

He looked so adorable, she thought. Enjoying her caressing of his wings. Oh she surely could do this all day long. _Would he let me do that, though?_ Maybe he would think of her petting him as if he were a dog. "You go ahead. I'll wait an enjoy the view."

"Oooh... naughty little Detective. Didn't know there was a voyeur hidden inside you! Wicked!" he grinned teasingly.

"I meant the landscape, but..." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Go ahead."

"Ha! I knew you would try to avoid me. But..." he motioned at himself as if pointing out a winner. "I'm magnetic, remember?" He parted from her and quickly got rid of all his clothes, piling them safely some distance away from the water. "Your loss, dear!" With a _swoosh,_ he pushed off the ground and shot up into the sky. He landed on the upper cliff and grinned down at her, striking a hero's pose. Then he fell forward, aligning his wings to his body to cut through the air, and dove into the lake.

 _Like he's also a goddamn champion in cliff diving…_ "Show off..." Chloe snickered. But Lucifer simply looked breathtakingly beautiful. _Angelic_ , one might say, she thought. _Not far off..._

When he emerged from the water, Lucifer flapped his wet wings slowly, then faster, every now and then dipping them back through the water. He then folded them towards his front and began cleaning them to his best possibility, knowing he just cannot reach every spot on his own. _Something you haven't thought of, hm Dad!? Omniscience my arse… you just wanted to have a good laugh watching us turn around like dogs chasing their bloody tails..._

In the meantime Chloe had sat back down at the dry shore, taking in the scenery in front of her. This was definitely one of those places your mind would think back to in happiness, especially with an angel bathing right here in front of her. _Damn him, such a tease! He knows how freaking hot he looks. Why is he rubbing it in my face like that?! - Well... he is the Devil... temptation and sin are his bread and butter, right?_ She thought about her desires, about her wishes and needs and suddenly she was stuck. The Devil... what did it mean to be in love with the Devil? To want to be with the Devil? Was she doomed and signing her application for hell? How did the whole thing with heaven and hell even work? And what about him? Did he even want her the same way? Was it possible for him to be with her? What does it mean for the Devil to love a human? Could the Devil even love at all? She shook away her worries, wanting to enjoy the time Lucifer offered to spend with her at this beautiful spot. There was a time and a place to talk about all of that, and this was neither. But when? She wasn't sure, so she went back to focusing on the here and now, bathing in the sun, taking in the fresh air and enjoying the view.

The cleaning took its time, but after about an hour, Lucifer was finally done. With some heavy flaps he emerged from the water. He raced skywards, anticipating what would come next as it was something he loved to do, although he'd probably not admit it to anyone except perhaps Chloe. He gained a thousand feet of altitude before diving down like an arrow. This time, however, he slightly opened his wings when he dove down towards the ground, giving his body an increasing spin. His wings and body sprayed off the remaining water stuck to them until he was dry and as he reached the ground, his wings quickly unfolded fully, slowing him down for a graceful landing. With a shrug of his shoulders, he hid his wings, and began dressing. He looked back at Chloe, finding her laid back, relaxing. "How are you, love? Enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, very much. That's quite a sight to remember." she sighed happily, knowing very well that her words had a double meaning. "And you? All cleaned up?"

"Back to dashingly handsome and feathered Devil, I suppose." he laughed and put on his jacket.

The natural sounds suddenly were disturbed from the buzzing sound of a phone. Chloe looked at her display, frowning. "It's Dan. Just a second." She answered the call. "Hey Dan, what's up? - Mhm. Any clues as to where he might be heading? - I see. Okay thanks for letting me know. - Bye." She tucked away her phone, turning to Lucifer with a sigh who looked back at her expectantly. "Turns out that there's one guy who managed to flee from the gallery and has been on the run ever since. At first our people were onto him but now they lost the trail. They put out an APB on him."

"One who got away, you say? Ugh... I believe this might be my fault." he sighs, glancing away in thought.

Her expression changed to confusion as her brows came together in a frown. "What? No, I mean... you're not-"

"I fought the henchmen without difficulties. The last one took flight probably wetting his pants when he saw my little winged rampage." He clenched his jaw and fists. "I kinda focused on Pierce then. I'm sorry I let that dimwit run." he sighed in confession of his lack of attention.

"Lucifer... don't go there." she said, gently rubbing his arm. "You did all you could at that moment."

"Well I can do something about it now." he said finally, took out his cell and stepping away a little.

What Chloe then heard made her stare in disbelief.

Lucifer dialled a number, leisurely slipped a hand into his pocket and spoke. In fluent Russian. "Privet, Viktor. Kak dela? - Kak idet torgovlya? Vy uzhe kupili tantseval'nuyu studiyu? - Net, konechno, ya nikomu ne govoril o tvoyem malen'kom zhelanii ... Govorya o nashey sdelke, ya khotel by zarabotat' na moyem I-O-U ... Yest' beglyy prispeshnik iz Sinnerman. Politsiya vypuskayet APB, kak my govorim. Naydi yego i privedi ko mne. Zhiv, konechno. O, i ya poluchu kitaytsev na nego tozhe. Poetomu, pozhaluysta, bez argumentov. - Spasibo, Viktor. Do skorogo."

("Hello, Viktor. How's it hanging? - How is the trade going? Have you already bought the dance studio? - No, of course I haven't told anyone about your little desire... speaking of our deal, I would like to cash in my I-O-U.. There is a fugitive henchman of the Sinnerman. The police are putting out an APB as we speak. Find him and bring him to me. Alive, of course. Oh, and I'll get the Chinese on him, too. So, please, no arguments. - Thank you, Viktor. Until next time.")

He ended the call only to dial another number, smiling and speaking once more fluently. This time Chinese. "Nǐ hǎo lín huá. Jiārén zěnme yàng? - Hěn gāoxìng tīngdào nǐ jíshí jiēshòu shènzàng yízhí shǒushù. Wǒ bìxū suōduǎn tā, qǐng yuánliàng wǒ. Wǒ xiànzài dǎ diànhuà gěi wǒle. Zài lùshàng yǒu yīgè xīn gé màn de xīnfù, bèi jǐngfāng tōngjī. Zhǎodào tā bìng huózhe bǎ tā dài dào wǒ shēnbiān. Èluósī rén duì wǒ yěshì rúcǐ, suǒyǐ méiyǒu xiānghù zhàndòu, lǐjiě? - Cànlàn! - Wǒ de róngxìng."

("Hello Lin Wa. How's the family? - Happy to hear you got that kidney transplant in time. I have to cut it short, please forgive me. I'm calling in my favour now. There's a henchman of the Sinnerman on the run, wanted by the police. Find him and bring him to me, alive. The Russians are on this for me as well, so no fighting each other, understood? - Splendid! - My pleasure.")

"What the hell?" Chloe gasped, staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

Lucifer tucked away his phone in the inside of his jacket and turned to her with an innocent expression on his face. "Hm?"

"Was that Russian and Chinese?" She continued to stare at him completely flabbergasted.

"Well yes. Just called in some favours. I suppose by the time we get back home, the bloody mongrel will be waiting anxiously for us. So... is there something on your mind now, that you'd like to do for fun?" he chimed, switching the topic as if his words had explained everything there was to say about it.

She reached out to hold onto both his arms. "Are you kidding me? I mean... first off, how come you speak Russian and Chinese?! And... Oh my god... who did you call in a favor from?! You're not doing anything illegal here, are you?" Her surprised gaze at him slowly turned into shock.

Lucifer chuckled nonchalantly. "Darling, hell is open for every nationality. I mean... sure... it's rather rare to have a guest from Nepal, Buddhist monks and so on, but it _does_ happen, you'd be surprised. The Devil speaks and understands every language, dead and alive, well... because… I was there before there even _was_ language. Some sort of innate omnilingualism. Although I have to admit, I cannot read them all. Just the basics, you know, English, Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese and a few European ones... As for your question numero dos: I called Viktor and Lin Wa. They are both also very... well-connected people in their circles and I'm sure they and their colleagues can find that thug faster than your cute little police force."

"And my last question?" she probed and crossed her arms over her chest, raising a brow.

"Hm? Oh that... well, no of course I'm not doing anything illegal, darling."

She squinted her eyes at him. "And what about your friends? Viktor and Lin Wa, was it? Will _they_ be doing anything illegal?"

 _Oh bloody hell this woman is good!_ He averted his eyes a moment from her. "They won't kill him." he tried to manoeuvre around, but at her persistent, stubborn glare, he finally gave in. "Okay, _maybe_ they might be, kind of... kidnapping him." He started to pacify her with his hands, foreseeing a rather negative reaction from her. "You know, some gagging, perhaps a punch or two in the gut... nothing too wild... I hope." T _hat… didn't come across all too convincing, you bloody idiot!_

"You..." She hissed as she glared at him, making Lucifer gulp.

"Sweetheart, perhaps we should drive back, so you can check on the well being on that damn turnip, when he's brought there, yes?" He quickly unfurled his wings and moved to scoop her up. She complied and slung her arms around his neck, still glaring at him.

"You better start praying that he's not hurt and pressing charges against you, Morningstar."

He gulped again. "I... don't really fancy praying as you can probably ima-" He saw her raise her eyebrows in a daring way. "Or… perhaps... I might give it a little try." He gave in with a forced smile before taking flight and bringing them back to his Corvette.

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 **Apologies for any mistakes concerning translation. Google Translator was all I had ;)**


	7. Devil In Me

Devil In Me

 **Chapter Title/Song by Purple Disco Machine feat Joe Killington & Duane Harden**

 **As I have promised, this is my perfectly timed Christmas Special for you (not Christmas themed, but a little treat nonetheless). Just as a reminder, this story is rated M for all kinds of reasons. One of these you will discover in this Chapter. I wish you all a Merry Christmas/ Fröhliche Weihnachten/ Feliz Navidad/ Joyeux Noël ! The next Chapter will be released on January 1** **st** **!**

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As the elevator doors opened, hysteric muffled groans rang through the penthouse.

"Ooooh... lovely! The package has already arrived! See? I told you my folks would be faster. Funny thinking how well the Chinese and Russians could work together..." Lucifer chimed happily and rushed into the room. "A present! I love unwrapping presents! Well... except for the whole Christmas thing, obviously. A whole lot of taradiddle." He looked at the man in front of him, seated on a chair, hands crossed on his back with his wrists and ankles bound to the frame. His head was covered with a tow sack which had a simplistic drawing over the front displaying a grinning smiley with two spiky horns. A Devil icon. "Oh what a sweet gesture! I'm sure that was Viktor's idea. He's quite the creative one, you know? Also very flexible!" he snickered, exchanging looks with Chloe.

Chloe moved in quickly behind Lucifer and without further delay or wait on her partner, pulled off the tow sack from the man's head.

Lucifer's big grin dropped instantly. "Of course you can open my present. You're welcome, Detective!" he exclaimed sarcastically, clearly annoyed she spoiled all fun that he had already thought about having with the guy.

That earned him yet another eyeroll. However, she did make a mental note, realizing how Lucifer had fluently switched her first name and any inappropriate nicknames with her profession. She very much appreciated it and was happy he paid attention. She focused back on the man in the chair and took a closer look at his shape, while walking around him once. He was strongly built, a bit bulky. He was gagged with a cloth tied around his head and she could quickly see that his fingernails had red stains under them. He had fought and scratched his kidnappers. She sighed and took out her cell phone, pulling up a picture Dan had sent her of the APB and held it in front of her.

Lucifer leaned down over her shoulder, comparing the picture with the man in front of them. "Yep. That's our chap."

The bound man grunted muffled accusations at them, aggressively squirming in his seat and huffing heavily. He looked frantically at Chloe, and confused and insecurely at Lucifer.

"Mhm. Looks like it." she agreed nodding.

"Wanna hear him sing, Detective? I bet he's going to be quite the songbird..." he says lowly with a grin that was becoming darker in the minute, sinister even.

The sudden change of Lucifer's voice and expression sent a quick, cold shiver through Chloe's spine and in the blink of an eye she fully felt the weight of the truth about her partner being the real, one and only, Devil himself. He wasn't evil. But he held no mercy to those which were guilty and he did so with a finality that felt superior and intimidating. _What was it again I read his name meant? Oh yeah, Wrath Of God. The freaking Wrath Of the freaking one and only God._ She could see where this came into play. _Breathe… breathe…_

Inhaling deeply, Chloe leaned towards the thug and pulled down his gag. In return the man shouted back at her in rage.

"What the hell!? What kind of crazy shit are you doing to me! You bitch, you should be fucking dead! And you! You had freaking wings! WINGS! You... you..." The man shouted, outraged, pulling at the restraints, surging forward with his his upper body as if to jump at them.

Chloe kept her distance from him as she remembered she had left her service weapon and holster in Lucifer's bedroom that morning. Confident enough, though, that the restraints would keep him in place, she stood, rather relaxed. Lucifer, on the other hand, had tensed up instantly at the man's words. He seemed to recall something, as his eyes lit up for a brief second with a crimson burning fire.

"You... _You_ were the bastard that shot the Detective." Lucifer hissed lowly, recalling the man before him as the one who shot at Chloe, also being the one he had let run. "You worthless little scoundrel!" With a wide stride, he swiftly closed the distance to him, grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him along with the chair he was bound to effortlessly, forcefully shoving him back against the brick wall.

The reaction from her partner wasn't new to her, yet every time it did happened, Chloe flinched. Just like now. _Wrath. Of. God._ "Lucifer!"

But he didn't hear her, with his anger overtaking his senses. The man yelped and cried out, his eyes the size of dinner plates. "What the hell-!?"

"EXACTLY!" Lucifer roared, his eyes now fully ablaze with hellfire. "Looks like you're getting it!"

"Oh god, please! Please let me go! Oh my god! Please, please!"

"Sorry to disappoint... I'm _not_ my father." He leaned in closely, inhaling deeply, smelling the stench of fear and guilt all over the miscreant. A low, predatory growl rumbled out through his throat, making the man tremble in fear. "I'm far worse."

Chloe shivered at Lucifer's behavior, seeing that he was taking a path that was literally going downhill. And fast. He was losing it, or rather _himself_. "Lucifer! Stop!" She moved forward into his peripheral vision, making sure he would see her from the corner of his eyes. She tugged at his arm, but he was so tense, he felt like a rock, impossible to move.

"Oh fuck! FUCK! Get off me! Please! _Please_! I'm _sorry_!"

"Are you now?!" Lucifer hissed back vicious and menacingly with a dark grin on his lips. "Let's see how sorry you are, then!" With another growl, his glamour changed, revealing the scorched flesh, sinew and bones of the Devil. Even though the flash of hell lasted only for a second, the man he held up against the wall was screaming and crying in absolute terror.

"Please! Oh my god! Please! I don't wanna die! Please, please, please! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I'll do anything! Just, please let me go! I'll do anything you want!"

Chloe felt helpless in her attempts to stop Lucifer. The change of his presence didn't scare her off, but she felt fear. Not _of_ him, but _for_ him. As she realized she couldn't get through to him, an idea struck her. She took a deep breath and focused her thoughts, still keeping her hands on Lucifer's arm. _Samael! Samael, stop it! Stop, please. Listen to me! Samael... please, you have to stop!_

The Devils sinister grin dropped and his body froze. His head felt spinning as he heard the Detectives voice clearly in his mind, echoing through him, louder and louder. The tight grip he held onto the criminal loosened and the poor sod crashed to the ground. Lucifer's eyes stared ahead into emptiness, confused, shocked and lost. His devilish rage had washed away so abruptly, that he now felt drained and empty, cold in a way. The only thing that seemed warm was the tugging at his arm from Chloe, that slowly shook him out of his trance.

"Lucifer?" Chloe asked aloud carefully.

Blinking Lucifer stepped away from Chloe and the man on the ground. Coming back to his senses he started to shake his head. What had just happened to him? He had felt this overwhelming anger making him snap at the realization of this man having shot his the Detective. The same roaring going through his body when he had confronted Cain for using and hurting Chloe. His mouth opened and closed in attempts to speak, but his brain failed to find any words that fit. He wanted to apologize because he had obviously scared her. Wanted to say sorry for snapping like that and overstepping a line that she, as a cop, had always shown, and ordered him not to cross. For his and her own sake. But he couldn't speak. Instead his eyes anxiously looked back at her, almost like a cornered animal.

"Okay... just relax, okay? Everything is fine." she carefully tried to calm him. The sobbing man on the ground, shivered and quietly mumbled his apologies, making her eventually turn towards him.

"I'll tell everything! I'll confess! I'm sorry! So sorry! I'll confess! Please just... just get me away from him!"

Chloe shortly glanced over to Lucifer, who had started to move away from them, heading out onto his balcony. She made a call, informing the station of the situation and asked for a pick up for their criminal so he'd be taken to the precinct. An officer arrived ten minutes later, spoke with her about further processing, and took the man into custody.

As the penthouse finally fell silent, Chloe took a moment to look at Lucifer from a distance. He was on the balcony smoking, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. He was leaning against the handrail, shaking his head every once in a while. She quietly stepped up to him and placed a hand on his back. "Hey."

Lucifer exhaled a breath of tobacco, and continued to look over the city, not feeling the strength to look at her. "Hey," His voice was hoarse and he sounded reluctant to have this conversation, but he knew his Detective wouldn't let this pass by, and he didn't want to hurt her. Not more than he had already hurt her before. "I'm... I'm sorry." he begins quietly. "I... didn't want to snap and scare you like that... I was... I..." _Why is this so bloody hard?!_ He sighed, inhaled deeply to gather his thoughts. "I shouldn't have done that. I was out of line."

She nodded with a stern expression. "You're right, you shouldn't have done that. That was highly unprofessional. All of this. And I really hope that the guy won't mention anything about how he got here in the first place, because this is my _job_ on the line here. You can't just snap like this, Lucifer." She could see how her speech was making him crumble and her tone softened. "Look. I'm just saying what it is. And also… you're wrong, y'know? I wasn't scared of you..."

Finally he looked at her, his jaw clenched as he tried to stay composed in front of her. "You certainly seemed scared..."

"I was scared, yes. Of what was going on with you. Of what you'd started to become."

"You mean the Devil?" He laughed bitterly. "I _am_ the Devil, Detective! I was just being what I am. You just refuse to accept that."

"No. No, that's not what you are."

"Pardon me, but are you blind!?" he exclaimed. "Have you somehow forgotten my face?"

"You behaved the way people have _thought_ of you for eons. But that's not how you truly _are_ , Lucifer. You said it yourself over and over, and I've seen it. You're _not_ evil. People have vilified you. Unjustifiably. But the way you behaved back there? That was evil! You were turning into the monster people make you out to be."

"Well, maybe that's how I truly _am_! The way it should be! You have no idea what I've done!" he hissed angrily and positioned himself closer, towering over her intimidatingly. "You should be _afraid_ , Detective… but you're not. And I don't understand it! Any of it!" he shouted and flipped the cigarette butt away. "Why was I not punished when I broke dad's rule number one and killed my brother?! Why did I get my Devil face back after killing a human, dad's rule number two, but my wings are still there? Why didn't they rot off like they did with Amenadiel?! And why am I mortal around you and able to hear your _prayers,_ for crying out loud!? I mean…" Tears built up at the corner of his eyes and his jaw tensed, forcing them back. "What the bloody hell am I supposed to _be_!?" He was shaking, his voice trembling and breaking. Hating himself for it, he turned away from her again, feeling horribly vulnerable and exposed.

Chloe tried to take in everything he said. From the way Lucifer had always spoken about himself, he always seemed to have daddy issues, and given the small bits and pieces she had gathered online and through the talks with Lucifer, she could tell this was very much an identity crisis, on a celestial level. Lucifer didn't know whether he was the Angel he was born as or the Devil he had become. But what was that about killing people? His brother? And a human? Did he mean Pierce? This was too much for the moment and he was certainly too upset to be able to talk about it all, so she put it aside for now.

Slowly she slipped in front of him and caressed his cheek with her palm. "Lucifer... please... Look at me." She waited for him to focus back on her, his breathing still ragged, but slowing down slightly. "You decide who you want to be. So you gotta ask yourself what it is that you want to be. _Who_ you want to be." She took a deep breath, nodding softly to a thought she rolled around in her mind before speaking again. "And you're not alone, Lucifer. You have me and I'm on your side. You can talk with me about those things, you know? I'm not judging you and I certainly won't run away at the first creepy thing you tell me. Perhaps it's time you get a fresh set of eyes and an outsider's perspective on the things that worry you so much."

Lucifer felt himself calming down slowly at her gentle touch and words. His mind however felt exhausted. Leaning slightly into her hand, he frowned. "What do you mean? I should probably just make a new appointment with the doctor to have some overwhelming epiphanies on my existence."

"Yes, you should, but maybe... it helps that now I also know about you. And maybe there are things you might not like to share with Linda, but with me. And with some other things it's the other way round." she tried encouragingly. Then, when she saw his slow nod, she took his hand to guide him back inside. "Come on, let's eat something and have a drink. I don't know about you, but I could definitely use some wine."

He let her pull him inside, feeling strangely out of his body, but at the same time he felt his heart swell again with the warmth she caused inside him, making him feel secure, welcome, understood and loved. _Does she? Love me? The Devil?_ As they passed his grand piano he suddenly stopped, making her come to a halt along with him. He stared at her, awestruck. With everything he had told her so far, everything she had seen and all the things she knew as well as being aware that there were things she didn't know about him just yet... she was okay with him. More than that, she offered him a connection he'd never had before. Nobody had been this kind to him, after knowing the truth about him. Nobody had not been afraid. It was as if she was… "A miracle…" he breathed out in admiration, feeling himself pulled towards her.

"What is it?" She looked at him curiously, not having heard his whisper.

But he didn't answer. Instead he stepped closer and pulled her longingly into a delicate kiss. And she responded. His chest felt like it was going to explode. _By Dad, what is she doing to me? Tasting so deliciously, smelling so alluringly and her body turning my own into a furnace of lust straight out of hell..._ He sighed and smiled sweetly against her lips, pulling her even closer and deepening the kiss to fully taste her. Unable to hold back a moan, he breathed her name out in heat like a prayer, slipping his arms around her waist. His right arm pressed her flush against him, while his left traveled upwards, his fingertips brushing along her spine until they buried in her rich blond hair.

"Lucifer..." Chloe breathed, feeling heat pool into her core. She kissed him back deeply, curious about how he felt and what he tasted like. Her blood rushed in her ears. This was truly angelic. In so many ways. She groaned louder than she wanted, but was rewarded with Lucifer grinding harder against her and pushing her back against the piano.

He wanted her. Badly. And from the feelings, looks, and sounds from her, he knew she wanted him, too. He felt lightheaded and realized they both needed oxygen. _Bloody mortality..._ With another breathy moan he pulled back from her lips, resting their foreheads against each other, while he still held their bodies pressed closely against each other. "You truly are a miracle, love. Giving hope to the Devil himself..." His dark brown eyes roamed over her face longingly, his chest aching in a painfully sweet way as he realized something. Everything that had happened before, whenever she had been in danger, whenever somebody did her wrong, he wanted to be there, shield her, protect her, make her feel safe. Yes, he wanted her. Beyond the physical. "I might not be sure _what_ I am, but I know what I _want to be_." he spoke quietly. Her eyes glanced back at him expectantly "Yours." he breathed, nuzzling his nose against hers in affection. "Please Chloe... let me be yours."

Chloe's eyes got lost moving between Lucifer's dark orbs and his lips, finding both of them mesmerizing and intoxicating, making the Devil's voice more blurry, but she could still hear him. Blinking she felt tears well up and it was hard to breathe calmly. _A miracle? Me?_ The affection behind his words made her smile and crave to capture his lips between hers once again. At hearing his confession however, her heart made a leap and she couldn't hold herself back from pulling him close with desperate need, crushing his lips down on hers. All her surrounding was gone in an instant. All the stress of the previous days, even weeks, dissolved in a hot myst of desire. This was the answer she had wanted to a question she didn't had the opportunity to ask. He wanted to be hers. He wanted to be with her, love her. She was relieved and her spirit uplifted with joy, her eyes finally releasing the emotional pressure in a happy cry. Tasting him lovingly for a long moment, she finally pulled away from him, tears still trailing down her cheeks and took his head into her hands. She knew she hadn't verbally answered him yet, but she needed to know something in return. "On one condition." she looked at him firmly, which made him swallow nervously. "I want to be your only one, Lucifer."

"I only want you, Chloe." He smiled softly at her and brushed away her tears. "Nobody else." Lifting her chin he locked his lips with hers. His tongue teased her, yearned to taste her again and when she let him in, Lucifer growled lowly, the taste of her sending his mind back to the stone age. Hungrily he pushed her against the piano, hips grinding against hers before effortlessly picking her up and placing her on top of the instrument. His body felt like fire, burning and wanting to feel her own heat against him, flesh against flesh. There were far too many clothes for the state he was in, and they needed to quickly get themselves begone. His lips travelled down her jawline and neck and then back up to her right ear. He nibbled her lobe and smirked as he heard her moan.

Chloe's hands moved on their own, almost greedily beginning to pry open Lucifer's vest and shirt. She sighed happily as she finally managed to get to see his chest and roam over his sculpted muscles with her fingertips, tracing his abs one by one. She arched against him, slipping her hands towards his back, almost clawing at his skin, her chest pressing against his, drawing out a deep groan from Lucifer in return.

With a following growl, the Devil pulled back his head, looking back at her, both their breathing fast and laboured. His hands travelled to her chest, starting to unbutton the black shirt he had given her, thinking she looks impossibly attractive all flustered, with rosy cheeks and with a look of desire written all over her. He slid the shirt off her shoulders and licked his lips as he saw she was wearing a delicate black lace bra underneath. Pushing her upper body further down he lowered his head, trailing kisses along her neck and collarbone before brushing his lips down her chest. Every now and then he flicked out with his tongue, tasting her soft light skin before planting a new kiss all the way down to her navel, then doing the same on his way back up. He made a turn to the side, kissing over the curve of her well-formed breast, nibbling teasingly at her nipple still hidden under the lace. Paying his attention to her one breast for several moments he then switched sides, lightly flicking his tongue over the erect nipple before tugging at it carefully.

The things Lucifer did on her body made her nerves go haywire and she could tell how turned on she was from within her already. Her hands reached out to him once more, burrowing into his dark curls, gripping tightly at the sensations she was feeling because of the magic he did with his mouth. But she wanted those lips, teeth and tongue deeper. Needy, she tugged him downwards, guiding him to her heat. She heard him snicker lowly and could feel his lips curling up into a smirk at her eagerness and impatience. In a matter of seconds she helped him to wiggle out of her jeans. She managed to lift her head and felt yet another wave run through her when she saw Lucifer's head dipping down between her legs.

His desire for her was almost unbearable, but throughout the eons of his existence, the Devil had a lot of training when it came to self control and patience with his own needs. What he desired more than Chloe was only to make this moment as mesmerizing and pleasing as he could and this meant that he wanted to please her in the first place, before even thinking about himself. Slowly he moved his lips along her inner right thigh, closing in on her heat. He let out a trembling moan when he inhaled her scent, avoiding touching her where she most wanted him and switching to her left thigh, kissing and lightly biting along it. The closer he got to her center, the more he felt Chloe squirm and the louder her moans became. Oh those sweet lovely sounds she made!

"Luciferrrr...!" Chloe groaned out, panting heavily. She desperately tried to push him to her heat and also to move herself closer to him, but her attempts were in vein. She was at his mercy and he was driving her mad with lust. So she laid back, her back arching on the black instrument as the Devil was obviously having his own pace of playing the game they both were at.

"Mmmm..." Lucifer reacted to her loud groan with a murmur of his own, letting it vibrate just above her black lace panties. As a response her pelvis arched towards him, this time however, he touched the soft material with his lips, breathed out and trailed his tongue over her barely covered entrance. His hands roamed over her legs, starting at her ankles and moving all the way up to her hips where his finger tips slid beneath her underwear, pulling it down ever so slowly. The tightness in his own dress pants was becoming painful and even more so, when he had eventually taken off the lace. Gently he started planting kisses from her navel moving south until his lips brushed over her clit. He slowly lapped out with his tongue, tasting the wetness from her entrance. _Oh, by everything that's sinful... she tastes beyond heavenly!_ He growled hungrily and fell into a slow, sensual pace as he continued to lick and tease her nub with his lips and tongue. He could feel her clit swelling and heating up even more as she quivered beneath his ministrations. Alternating between her nub, pink folds, and her entrance, he brought her to the verge of lunacy within only a few minutes.

Her eyes had closed and she fell deep into the prayers of Lucifer's mouth. Her mind felt fluffy and out of any form of focus, making her quiver and moan uncontrollably. "Nnngghh...!" She tried to keep her cries of pleasure low, but Lucifer working magic on her made it impossible to hold back to any coherent thought or move. As she felt the build up inside her getting close to its peak, she panted heavily. "Mmmm… Oh my god... Oh god, Lucifer...!"

But instead of making her fall over the edge, he froze and looked up at her. He panted almost as heavy as she did, but his look was stern. "Please leave my Dad out of this. Mentioning your parents during such events is quite the turnoff." he murmured. He licked over his lips, savouring her taste as he gave her a look-over. Expectantly he looked back up at her, teasing her with his waiting patience.

"Ughh... you... ngh... fine... Lucifer, just please... get back down already! Don't leave me like this!" she grumbled, but really, she didn't look or sound angry, but rather eager and very impatient to be feeling him again.

Lucifer waited just a moment longer after hearing her plea, making her squirm just a tiny bit longer, before returning to her dripping heat with a mischievous grin on his lips. Pushing his tongue forward, he took a hold on Chloe's hips, holding her in place as she wiggles and tries to push herself against him. He took her as deep with his tongue as he could, indulging in her taste and increasing the pace of the thrusts. She started to convulse and tremble, arching against him, making him please her even deeper. She finally fell over the edge, crying out his name again and again in complete bliss. He held her, continuing his licking, sucking and thrusting, letting her ride out her orgasm until she rested down on the piano, heavily panting. Lucifer purred joyfully, got up and helped Chloe to raise to a sitting position. As they were back on eye-level, he rested his forehead against hers. "That was amazing, love. And you taste truly heavenly."

Chloe was beyond bliss. "Holy shit..." she breathes out in utter amazement at what she had just experienced. This stood in absolut no comparison to any orgasm she had with Dan before. And… this had only been an oral pleasure so far...

That made Lucifer laugh. "That's not too bad... got any other descriptions ready?" he teased lightly, putting his arms next to her thighs on his piano to support his weight.

"Oh shut up, you!" she scolded him with a laugh, sighing and smiling as she smelled herself on his lips. "Mmmm..."

Not giving her too much time to recover, Lucifer captured her lips with his own, kissing her deep and frantically. His hands slipped to her butt, pulling her off the piano and against him. Automatically her legs slung around his waist in a tight hold while her hands roughed up his hair, turning it into a complete mess. Her lips planted kisses all over his face and she loved the heat she felt as both their chests pressed against each other. Lucifer groaned at her treatments, turning them and walking over towards his bedroom.

He didn't get as far though when he felt her arching against him, leading to him stumbling against the wall with her. His hips pressed against her, keeping her stuck between the wall and him. As Chloe leaned her upper body further against him, she basically pushed her cleavage towards his face. "Mmmm... you little minx!" he growled with a grin, reaching behind her back and effortlessly opening the clip of her bra. She helped removing her last piece of clothing, playfully holding it next to him and letting it drop to the marble floor. Lucifer did not let time pass by without giving her the attention that she deserved and quickly tilted forward, caught her left exposed nipple with his mouth and lasciviously began sucking and nibbling on it, drawing out long and loud moans from her, that only spurred him on further. His throbbing erection was starting to become unbearable if it would have to stay in his pants just one more minute. He groaned, shifted his weight and pulled her with him once again. Quickly making it up the steps into his bedroom, he dropped them both down onto the soft, cold sheets, pushing her down with his weight.

Chloe took in a sharp breath when her warm body touched the cold sheets. She moaned out his name, feeling him press his groin roughly against her heat. Her carnal cravings had long taken over her thoughts and so all that was going through her mind was the thought of how amazingly hard and big he felt, even though he still had his pants on. _Why the hell are they still on!?_ She reached down between them and quickly worked open his belt and fly, shoving the pants along with his boxers down over his well toned butt.

"Bloody hell, that was about time!" he grunted, pulling away shortly to get the clothes off completely. He towered over her again on his knees, attacking her neck with his mouth with hungry passion. Chloe's hand ran down over his chest and abs in curved trails before it wrapped around his hot, pulsing shaft. He moaned against her skin, feeling how she started stroking him slow but firmly with just the right change in motion, so his body felt under constant exciting stimulation. Her free hand took a hold on Lucifer's chin, making him look at her. Both pairs of eyes looked back at each other in desperate need for the other. In silent understanding, Lucifer shifted his hips as she took her hand off him, aligning himself with Chloe's body with his member brushing against her wetness. He gazed back at her, hovering over her. She locked eyes with him and realized he was waiting for her. He wanted for her to give him permission to continue. Silently asking if this is really what she desired. If she was sure that she wanted to sleep with the Devil.

She placed her hands to his cheeks, caressing his stubble with her fingers tenderly. Her eyes searched in his, noticing hesitation and perhaps a hint of fear of rejection in them. "I want you, Lucifer." she breathed against his lips, pecking them sweetly. Suddenly a thought hit her and she gently put her hands onto his shoulders. "Wait… what about… you know…" She felt silly to ask, not wanting to break the arousing and romantic moment they shared.

Lucifer seemed to need a moment to get her drift, but then shook his head. "I'm a different species, darling, we don't match on that level. And I am immune to diseases, so nothing to worry about." he replied calmly, smiling tenderly.

"Oh, right… okay." she breathed and gave him a soft encouraging nod, wanting for him to understand that she was one hundred percent sure of this.

Even though he saw her nod, he hesitated shortly. This was not just any woman he was going to have sex with. Of course he had wanted to have her right where she was now since the moment they had met, but this felt like something he never experienced before and that made him nervous. This was _Chloe_. And he wanted nothing more than to please her every desire, which, according to her, right now was to have him. And he felt honoured to give her what she wanted.

Dipping his hips, he carefully pushed down against her, feeling his throbbing shaft entering her ever so slowly. He made sure to only slide in for about half his length and stopped when Chloe suddenly reached out, one hand digging its nails into his chest whilst her other gripped the sheets to her side. She groaned out, her eyes fluttering close and a look of long missed pleasure washing over her features. He gave her a brief moment where he didn't move, feeling himself pulsing, stretching her breath by breath. As he started pushing further, he realized just how wet she was and decided to not make them both wait any longer. With a rough move, he thrusted the rest of the way inside her, feeling his glans press against her core. Both cried out in bliss at the feel of the other. Again he stilled his movement which took a tremendous amount of his self-control and he knew he didn't really have much left anymore, with her feeling so mind-blowingly good for him. "You feel bloody amazing, Chloe." He breathed her name against her ear, pushing his weight further against her.

"Lucifer…" Chloe's eyes fluttered as she moaned his name. She had no words to describe the feel of him inside her, just that it felt fulfilling and complete. "Take me…"

He panted quietly, taking in the sight of her: Her breathing was just as fast as his own, her lips trembled from the desire overwhelming her, her skin was all flushed, her nipples sharply erect and her pupils dilated widely from intoxication. His mind was searching for anything that could properly sum up what he saw in front of him, what she sounded and smelled and how she felt like to him. _By Dad... this... this… is not normal, not just… human. She's divine. Truly divine._ "He knew exactly what He was doing when He created you…" he breathed out in a murmur, smiling, his eyes glistening. Apparently his look of awe and appreciation had turned into a open-mouthed stare that lead to Chloe letting out a soft laugh, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Sorry." he whispered, nuzzling his nose against hers. "I got carried away with you being so beautiful."

 _What was was he saying…? When He created me? What does he mean? Who?_ Her mind was in a daze, happy but in a roller coaster of blissful emotions and his words simply made not much sense to her. Not that she cared all to much. She felt her cheeks burn under his intense stare and even more so at his words of praise. She shook her head in sweet disbelief and kissed him lovingly. Her grey-blue eyes held his gaze as she moved her legs against his, clinging to his rear and pulling him against her, making him press just slightly harder against her core. The reaction she drew from him made her shudder in delight.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his jaw tensing, as he released a deep, shuddering growl through his clenched teeth. His head lowered to her ear. "Ngh... Chloe... ugh… fuck…" Another growl trembled through his throat, vibrating at Chloe's ear, making her answer his sounds with a long stretched groan of her own. And that was it.

The sounds and feels from her had eventually cut the fully strained rubber band of his remaining self-control and Lucifer's hips began to move, slowly at first, but with swift, sharp thrusts. His lips crushed against hers demandingly and Chloe willingly invited his tongue. She moaned when his tongue began to skilfully claim hers in a heated dance. Lucifer's right hand moved downwards, mapping the planes of her body. It traveled briefly over her collarbone, down to her left breast, gripping and cupping it firmly before roaming further downwards over her flank and to her backside. His fingers greedily dug into her bum, pulling her against him with each new thrust, increasing the intensity of his moves.

The air was starting to become filled with their heavy breaths, lustful groans and the slick sounds of Chloe's wetness. She felt her body turning to jello in his firm grip. Of course she had imagined him to be a good lover, given the dozens and dozens of women (and men) who had spoken about their sexual encounters with him. All of which had claimed his skill has been unmatched. Now Chloe was beginning to understand what they meant. Lucifer's moves might have appeared wild and uncontrolled, but Chloe felt how he was actually pleasing her in all the right places, using just the right amount of pressure, speed and angle to make her come undone beneath him. And not only his thrusts were mind-blowing. The way he held, kissed and caressed her were adding to the orgasm that was building up inside her almost too fast for her liking, but at the same time she wanted it. She wanted to feel herself fall apart beneath him, moaning his name in bliss.

As if Lucifer had been able to sense her thoughts, he slightly leaned back from her and loosened her left leg from his waist, pulling it to his front. He shifted her a few inches onto her right side, before continuing to push back into her with swift, forceful thrusts that made her cry out in surprise and pleasure. Satisfied with the newly located hotspot inside of her, he planted light kisses to her ankle. He could feel her slick walls contracting around him, pulling him inside, wanting him deeply buried inside her warmth. Aware that she was getting closer to her release, he increased the intensity of his thrusts again, both their movements becoming frantic, erratic and sloppy and Lucifer felt himself harden even further at the thought of Chloe climaxing soon.

The snaps of Lucifer's hips made Chloe let go of everything around her. All she saw was his lecherous expression. All she heard were their continuous groans and all she felt was him. Him, in and around her. The build up he caused inside her reached its apex and when she felt him harden even further, her brain simply unplugged. "Nngh… Lucifeeer!" she groaned, her hands clawing down into the sheets as her body arched up and against him. Heavy tremors rocked through her body in fast intervals, making her walls clench down hard onto Lucifer's shaft in spastic motions.

He watched her in delight, heavily breathing and moaning as he felt her orgasm on his throbbing erection. Letting go of her leg, he lowered down to hover above her, continuing to thrust hard into her. She arched even further into him with her hips frantically moving on their own, riding out her orgasm against him that seemed to go on longer than they both had expected. With a growl, Lucifer stabilized his weight with one hand next to her head, while the other wrapped around it, pulling her into an indecent, predatory kiss, claiming her with lips, teeth and tongue, but still pouring all the devotion and desire he held for her into it. He felt the world around him crumble and disappear into a blur as his own release overwhelmed his body and senses. "Mmmm yesss… nngh... C-Chloe…!" He heard himself desperately cry out her name and spilled himself into her warm sanctuary as he buried his face in her neck. He trembled uncontrollably, but continued to rock against her. Eventually he slowed down until he rested on top of her.

With closed eyes, Lucifer inhaled her soft natural vanilla scent, brushing his lips along the side of her neck lightly. He smiled as a thought passed him, that she looked like a greek goddess, _devine_ , and carefully lifted himself up, taking in the view beneath him. He was greeted with a satisfied and still slightly dazed pair of grey-blue eyes. As he was just about about to speak, she gently placed a finger to his lips. Curiously he frowned at her and stayed silent, waiting.

Chloe shook her head in silence, smiling back at him tenderly and running her fingers over his lips and along his prominent jawline. She wanted to indulge in this moment, let it sink in and have it be burned into her very soul. And she wanted to savour every little detail that she was soaking up with her body and mind. "Lucifer..." she breathed his name admiringly, taking in everything that was _him_. Her eyes locked with his once more with certainty and determination in hers and suddenly tears welled up in her eyes.

His soft curious frown was quickly turning down further as he saw her eyes water, trying her best to blink them away. _W-what? Did I do something wrong?_ A thousand thoughts crashed into his mind and he felt panic rising inside him, making him slightly shift his weight from left to right, though still interlocked with her, his eyes searching for any indication as to why she started crying. _How the bloody hell did I end up making her cry?_ "Chloe-" his voice cracked, horrified at the thought of having hurt her in any way. He froze when her hands took a hold onto his cheeks and pulled him down to her lips. Unsure he waited and let her guide the movement, not understanding at all what was going on.

She brushed her lips over his from side to side, planting feather light kisses on and around them before resting his forehead against hers in the pose that had become a very intimate one just in between the two of them. "Thank you." she breathed, barely above a whisper.

"What?" he whispered confused, noticing that her expression wasn't sad but relieved and somehow at peace. _So I didn't hurt her, did I?_ "Why are you thanking me? For what?"

A heavenly soft smile appeared on her face. "For letting me love you, Lucifer."

His breathing instantly stuck as her words left her lips. His onyx orbs gazed widely back at her, awestruck and gobsmacked. _She... loves me? Did she really just say...?_ His heart hammered madly against his chest and he was sure Chloe was able to hear it. He searched her eyes, getting lost in those beautiful deep-as-the-ocean eyes and found himself awestruck. Never in his long existence had anybody said something like this to him, with such affection and truthfulness.

About a year ago, he suddenly recalled, there had been a moment where his mind and heart made a sudden, very brutal experience. He had been standing outside the interview room in the precinct while his dear Detective was interviewing his monthly shag-partners, when he realized that every single one of them had denied an actual love interest for him in rather disgusted expressions. He remembered clearly that his chest had been hurting deeply. He felt disappointed, neglected, lonely, and unloved. But, he didn't fully understand the reason behind this until having further discussed it with Doctor Linda, and even then, the concept of 'true love' had been hard for him to grasp. At this very moment, however, he understood. He loved her. Truly and deeply. With every fibre of his being.

Silence had spread between them and as he was starting to feel uncomfortable, not really knowing what to do, a calming smile spread on Chloe's lips. "Are you having a moment?" she asked gently, well aware how much of an impact her words probably had on Lucifer.

He nodded and a moment later, another thought crossed his mind. "Was this what humans call 'making love'?" he asked blankly and innocently.

Chloe let out a soft laugh and nodded at him, again having to suppress tears welling up. "Yeah." she breathed with a sniff and reached behind his head to caress through his tousled hair. "Are you alright?"

"Quintessentially. I believe... this was a first for me." He kissed her once again before reluctantly pulling away from her. He immediately missed the feel of her body entwined with his. _Well, who's the heroine now, hm?_ "Now. How about a quick shower? Also I recall you being up for dinner and a drink. I certainly feel dried out and stranded. Not sure how I survived today without at least a bottle of my top-shelf Bourbon."

She came to a sitting position in front of him and shook her head. "Sounds great. But seriously... How are you even able to drink so much?"

"Celestial metabolism, remember?" he grinned and held out his hand to her. "Come on, love. Let's get cleaned up and sated, so you're prepared for the next rounds."

* * *

 **So there you have it :) Your little present from me. Did you enjoy it? What are your thoughts? And no worries. This is not the end, but just the beginning of the story! Much more is prepared for your hungry minds and hearts :) Merry Christmas again and see you next year!**


	8. Oh Death

Oh Death

 **Chapter Title/Song by Jen Titus (Known from SPN)**

 **Happy new year everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas time and a great New Year party with your families and/or friends! I was writing like crazy over the days between Christmas and New Year's, very inspired and motivated :) You will have many more chapters to enjoy! I'm very happy to share the first chapter of 2019 with you! Enjoy! (Although, I admit, the title might suggest nothing to enjoy haha, but it does excite your curiosity, doesn't it?!) Have fun ;)**

* * *

Water seeped through his shoes. They were not his best pair though anyways, he had to admit, but he lived modest and was content with what he had. A simple principle that has accompanied him through all his life so far. With a sigh, he pulled the hood of his frock over his head. His light gray hair however, had already been glued to his head by the downpour after a few seconds, even though he had just exited the church through the large gates. He did not have a long way to his sparsely decorated apartment and was already looking forward to a cup of green tea.

For a moment he hesitated to descend the steps in front of the sacred building. His eyes wandered from left to right across the streets. Not many people were out and about, especially in this weather. Only a few days ago, he had not had that uneasy feeling, but since the incident, he felt haunted. He knew that was absolute nonsense. There really was not anyone who would want to harm him in his community and he has never been guilty of any misconduct. His conscience was pure and yet he could not shake off the feeling of darkness that has been haunting him since that night. It is not just the feeling of this 'something' that he could not get rid of, but that he felt it was getting closer. It was almost as if it was already _touching_ him. As if it was dragging him into the darkness.

His heart pounded excitedly in his chest. Anxiously he flipped back the left sleeve of his robe and looked at the strange symbol on his forearm. It was kind of hot, felt like it was burning into his body and yet it spread an irritating coldness at the outside. The police had still not been able to tell him any news of what happened five days ago. So he only knew what he remembered and that wasn't very much.

A masked person had snuck up behind him, after he had heard the last confessions of the day and was on his way home. The stranger held a cloth over his mouth and nose and suddenly everything went black. The next thing he remembered was that he woke up on the sidewalk, right where he had been before. His clothes, carrying bag, and everything else were intact. The only thing that was different was the stinging pain in his forearm. When he checked it, he saw the black-tattooed symbol. There was a sickle that opened upwards, with a small, filled-in circle inside. From the lower part of the sickle, a straight line went down like a wedge. This line was in turn halfway cut through by a short horizontal line. He did not know the symbol, but was irritated by the fact that apparently a cross was included within the whole symbol. Somehow though it all together looked creepy and sinister.

Now he was staring at the tattoo, rubbing and scratching it vigorously, hoping he might miraculously get rid of it. But a miracle did not occur. He looked around again and picked up the atmosphere of the night. There was hardly anything going on in the streets. Occasionally there was a hobo here and there. Sometimes a person got into a taxi or distributed small business cards to parked cars advertising a scrap dealer. He took a deep breath and started to head home. _It's not far, after all,_ he said to himself silently again and again. He passed the next street, handed a five-dollar bill to a homeless man and turned into the narrow side alley where his apartment was located. Halfway down the street, he felt a sting in his arm, then a sudden flash through his whole body, viciously impacting into his heart.

That was the last thing he felt before his body sagged lifelessly to the ground. It was not until noon before he would be found.

* * *

With a casual hip swing and a "thunk", he closed the fridge. Skillfully and with the eye for detail, Lucifer draped a plate of various fruits, from apples, strawberries, grapes and pears to pineapple pieces. In the pan, for the last few moments, two double-decker sandwiches of ham, cheese and egg were sizzling as Chloe entered Lucifer's living area. She stroked through her freshly dried hair and came closer with a smile.

"Mmm… smells delicious." She peered over the counter to see what he was preparing.

He looked up and unconsciously licked his lips. "Cheeky devil! You've stolen one of my shirts yet again! I thought you picked some things from your place." _Dad-damn it, and it suits her better than the Devil himself..._

She bit her lip, not able to hide her satisfied smirk. "What can I say? The Devil has style. I like taking advantage of that."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow and gave her a mischievous smile. "Well I do not mind, as long as I can be there when you take it off again. Or me, of course." Grinning he flipped the sandwiches one last time. Golden. Perfect.

With pursed lips, Chloe refrained to respond to his teasing and instead helped herself on the fruit plate. She eyed the apple in her hand thoughtfully. "Did you really give Eve the apple?"

He blinked, surprised at her question. Of course she would have more of them. A lot more. He took a deep breath. "First of all it wasn't a bloody apple, but a pomegranate. I can't believe how humanity has always gotten this wrong…" he grumbled and sighed when he saw that she was still waiting for a further explanation on the topic. "It's… a bit more complicated than just that." Nervously he looked back at her. "She was living without choices even though she had been granted free will from Dad. She was without a concept of the meaning of what choice even meant."

"So what did you do?" Her voice was a whisper, feeling like she was about to open an ancient book, to reveal something, that has never seen the light of day and could fall apart if handled too roughly.

"I _gave_ her a choice." he simply said.

Chloe took a moment to understand what he was saying. What he was really meaning with that. "You didn't give her the fruit - you _offered_ it to her." she concluded, surprised. How could history, humanity, had gotten him so wrong with this?

"Yes. I took that damn pomegranate from Dad's precious tree and held it towards her, telling her that _this_ is what it means to have a choice. To have something that you decide for yourself, not because God orders you to do something and you blindly follow, just… just because God said so. It all comes down to free will in the end. He might have granted it to humanity, but nothing, _nothing_ pisses God off more than exercising your free will."

"And… that lead to the rebellion and you being cast out into hell?" she probed carefully.

He sighed, nodding with a shrug. "In a nutshell. Yes."

 _Wow that… that was cruel._ She couldn't fathom how that was a just punishment. "I'm… sorry. For what it's worth, I mean."

His expression had become more sleek, as if he wanted to let the topic slip off from his Teflon shell. "I'm not. So don't worry."

Talking about the whole rebellion topic would be like walking on eggshells. But she wasn't aiming to make their lovely morning turn sour, by talking about - how did he put it? - the grandest fall in the history of time. No. Certainly not going to happen. So she just nodded and ate from the apple in silence. Routinely she looked at her phone to check for messages when she saw a reminder popping up. She turned off the screen and exhaled a depressed sigh. _Shit. I forgot._ "I can hardly believe that I was here for almost two whole days. I mean, I enjoyed every minute, Lucifer, but…"

He looked at her patiently.

"Charlotte's funeral is today." She said sadly. "And I did not take care of Dan at all. He was so depressed and I completely withdrew from him... just focused on my own problems, and he had to do all the- "

"You don't have to feel bad, Chloe," he interrupted softly. "He said that he needs time for himself. And as for the funeral and all other things regarding Charlotte's death, I've already arranged everything to relieve Daniel, if he wishes it. Every support is just one call away."

She looked back at him puzzled. "What did you do?"

"Merely forwarded a few contacts of mine and devolved a bank account." he answered brusquely while he served the dishes and they both get seated.

"Did you… offer him _money_?"

"Let's just say, it is at his disposal whenever he needs and wants it, so that he doesn't need to wrench his mind because of his mingy salary from the LAPD, just so he can say his goodbyes to Charlotte appropriately."

A soft smile fell to her lips. She bit her lip lightly and stifled the tears that threatened to come out. She reached over to shortly caress the back of his hand. "Thank you."

He looked at her a bit perplexed and it took him a moment to understand why she was almost crying and why he felt a light, airy sensation in his chest. _There it is again… That strange rush... Oh ... apparently I did something unexpectedly selfless again… bloody hell..._ He cleared his throat and fell into an awkward silence. Chloe on the other hand smiled and so both enjoyed the balanced breakfast quietly.

* * *

The funeral was held among family and close friends only. As a farewell, the mourners laid down white roses. Dan held Charlotte's kids Micah and Ivy by the hands. Elliot Richards, Charlotte's Ex husband, was also present. Chloe, Lucifer, Ella, Amenadiel and Linda stood by their side. The speech from the priest as well as Dan's lovely words were poignant and when Chloe saw how much Lucifer himself was moved, even though he tried his best to hide it, she suddenly understood his words, which he told her when they found Charlotte's body. He would not be able to see her again, unlike probably everyone else among them. He had no chance of seeing those people he had build friendships with, if they rose to heaven after their deaths. These gates were forever closed to the Devil.

Dan had asked to show understanding that there would be no funeral banquet, because he wanted to take care of Trixie, Micah and Ivy, which, of course, no one objected to. Chloe and Lucifer were on their way to the cruiser and had set themselves apart from the other mourners when she looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"What?" He asked as he felt her eyes on him and pulled out his silver cigarette case from the inside of his jacket. With a click, he opened the case and took out one of the neatly aligned cigarettes.

"Do you miss it sometimes?"

He raised a brow and fished for his lighter in his pocket. " _It_?"

She hesitated as she turned her head in his direction. Over the course of the morning, the sun had fought its way through gray rain-laden clouds again and again. Just now, at this very moment, the sun came out from behind a front of clouds again, shimmering through the autumn-colored red-yellow leaves of the oak trees in the cemetery grounds, dipping her partner in a graceful light. "Heaven," she replied, barely louder than a whisper, her eyes gazing at him in an awestruck moment.

Lucifer stared back directly at her for a moment, suppressing the urge to let off a laugh. That was certainly not appropriate towards her, he thought, especially with other mourners in earshot. Instead, his gaze moved forward again. He stayed quiet and reckoned he felt something that could remotely be described by the term _aspiration_. But then he realized that it was just a relic. As it had so often been the case. Something that had completely changed its composition over the eons until it was in no way what it once used to be. "No," he finally answered her question with a throaty voice as they stepped through the iron entrance gate. He lit his cigarette, inhaled deeply and slowly pushed the smoke aside, intent on Chloe not getting it in her face.

They both fell into a melancholic silence. It seemed like it was not possible to fill this day with anything other than thick, gray heaviness. They watched as the guests left one after another. Only Dan wanted to stay at the grave with Charlotte's ex-husband and the children for a little longer. So only the two of them stood in the parking lot, shrouded in depressing lifelessness.

After a while, Chloe saw Lucifer look up skywards, a gloomy expression on his face. "I do not miss heaven as such, you know with all the trumpet fanfare, but... I grieve over my inability to enter it," Lucifer said thoughtfully. His voice quietened, softened and sounded vulnerable. "If you're immortal, time is pretty much the most unnecessary thing you can think of. But…" Then he looked at her with a look that showed how old he really was. "But when you are suddenly confronted with finiteness, it becomes _very_ precious." A soft smile tugged at his lips, but didn't dare to really show. _Dad knows how precious you are to me..._

The moment contained much that was left unspoken between the two and they knew that. They knew about the things they did not have to say, because they could both feel them. They both sensed finitude float over them like a sword of Damocles. But, they both knew that they wouldn't live in fear of their relationship because of Chloe's mortality and Lucifer's lack thereof. They knew about the feeling in their hearts and that there was nothing that could separate them. Their different life expectancy would certainly be something to talk about in the future, but there were things to deal with in the present and she herself wanted to give her own worn out emotions some much needed attention and love. Lucifer had filled the longing emptiness inside her, that she had pushed away into a dark corner for the past few years, trying desperately for people not to see how much she yearned for it, and how vulnerable she felt. With him, she felt she could open up and not sacrifice safety but rather be granted with even more protection by him being her _guardian Devil_ , as he once put it.

A buzz made them both abruptly pull out of their thoughts and Chloe checked her phone. "It's the Captain."

"Meaning your holiday is probably over with this."

"Looks like it." she sighed with a slight shrug and answered. "Decker. - Yes, ma'am. - About thirty minutes. - Okay, we are on our way. Has Miss Lopez been contacted as well? She has left the cemetery already. - Good. - Yes. Thank you." She ended the call and walked to her car. "A body was found in Boyle Heights. Apparently a priest."

He quietly grumbled "Fantastic... The day is really getting better and better…" Lucifer mumbled sarcastically as he pulled one last time on the cigarette before stamping it out. "Would you happen to still have some of the Cool Ranch Puffs left from the last sting operation?"

She rolled her eyes as they got in and buckled up. "Under your seat, Lucifer."

"Ah, splendid! At least a small glimmer of hope, right?" he cheered with a slight sigh, retrieved the package and started to dig into it.

* * *

The side street was cordoned off from both ends and guarded by officers. Some bystanders had gathered at the tape, but were too far away to actually get a look at the site. Lucifer walked slightly ahead, picked up the ribbon for Chloe to then follow her to where the body was found. Ella and some others of the forensics team had arrived a few minutes ahead of them and were already in full swing with their work.

"Hey Ella. Know something already?" Chloe asked and crouched down next to the victim and Ella. Lucifer on the other hand didn't seem to harbor much interest in the dead man and instead took a look around in the street.

Ella looked up, giving Chloe a light smile. "Hey Chloe. Meet Father Thomas Hill. Forty-six years old. Was stationed barely three hundred meters away at St. Maria. He just had his wallet with him and a small bag with what seems like his personal hymnbook." She got the wallet out and opened it. "Just his papers and about forty bucks. And… from the first look at the body I can tell you, that I don't see how he could have died."

"What, no signs of foul play?" Chloe shortly glanced over to Lucifer. _Why in Gods na-... ugh, why can't he just for one time only show some genuine interest in a case? Did he maybe see everything already in his millions of years and now is just bored to death by everything?_ She sighed and looked back at the victim.

"No. Nada. No visible injuries, although of course at the moment I cannot rule things out like heart attack, pinch with the needle and so on. Gotta wait on the ME for details. So far, I see no bruises, no cuts, nothing. The _only_ thing interesting on first sight however, is this tattoo on his left forearm. Looks a bit odd, if you ask me." She took the arm of the body, pushed back the sleeve of the robe and slightly turned the arm. "It doesn't look older than a week, so quite a fresh stitch. And it looks like he had some side effects, telling from the rubbing and scratching redness on and around it. Perhaps some allergy reaction to the ink. But seriously… a forty-six year old priest who gets a tattoo? I mean… unless he was a rebel…"

"Hmm… well you know, people do all kinds of things in the name of God. Who knows." she murmurs as she inspects the tattoo. "Looks somehow religious at least, what do you think? Ever seen it before?"

Ella shook her head. "Lo siento. Maybe we'll get a hit in the database. I let it run as we speak. In a couple of minutes we might know more."

"Alright, thanks. Do you know who found him?" Her eyes scanned the surrounding as Ella pointed to the right side.

"The old lady over there, Miss Roberts."

Chloe nodded, thanked Ella and walked over to her partner several meters away. "Lucifer?" But he didn't react. Instead he seemed to focus all his attention to something else entirely. "Lucifer?" she tried again louder and with more urgency as she came to a halt next to him. "Hey!?"

"Hm, what?" Lucifer flinched as he was pulled out of focus, looking at her irritated. "Apologies, Detective. What's the matter?"

She tilted her head. "Oh I dunno…" she started with an intentional cocky tone. "How about: Why are you staring around completely zoned out and don't even take a look at the body?"

"I rarely hold an interest in corpses, Detective, you should know that. Isn't it much more interesting to find out, why I have this strange tingling sensation in my body, that…" Lucifer turned away from her and began looking around once again, as if he was searching for something, although he had no clue what exactly _it_ was.

Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh no! Please don't. No sexual innuendos-"

"That was _not_ an innuendo, Detective. I am very serious about this." he grumbled slightly offended and held his right palm outstretched in front of himself, reaching for something invisible in the air. "Something here isn't right…" he mutters under his breath.

She became annoyed by his Lucifer-ness strange-talk and sighed. "Maybe this is because of the corpse of a freshly tattooed priest who dropped dead by a mysterious cause!"

Lucifer whistled patronizingly. "What was he? A rebel like me? Tsk… What kind of priest gets a tattoo nowadays anyways? It was rather a thing among Celtic druids really…" He made another turn around again and followed an invisible trail of energy. There was something which pulled him closer in a weird way. Something that felt… familiar. And dangerous. Once more his focus was all on that energy and not the Detective. His vision sharpened and sucked up everything around him. He began to filter away all the details that were unimportant and fitting the scenery. More and more objects just faded around him while he followed the familiar feelings of danger, darkness and… death.

He blinked as suddenly his eyes fall onto a small crack in the back of the wall two meters to his left. It was just a common crack, about six centimeters long in the wall, directly above the pavement. Lucifer walked over to it, crouched and saw a small rivulet that poured out of the crack. He followed the small stream of dark, murky water, that slithered its way along the side of house. The trail flowed through small brown tufts of grass and eventually trickled away in the brittled ground after two meters. It had a strange green glow to it, as if it was from a horror movie, making it look surreal. _Probably some sort of chemical reaction,that-_

"Alright, that's enough!" Chloe snorted. "Lucifer, stop striking roots!" She tapped on his shoulder impatiently. "Come on. We still have to talk to Miss Roberts, who found the body. Maybe she can tell us a little more about Father Thomas."

"Hm…?" He blinked. "Yes, yes of course, Detective. Perhaps my Devil antennas are somehow jammed. Still… odd." As he stood up his dark orbs followed the rivulet one last time. Suddenly he noticed something small grey-pinkish. A hairless little tail that stuck out behind a pile of garbage not far off. He tilted his body a bit to the side to see what it is. _Hm, just a dead mouse._ Sighing he shook his head and looked over to Chloe. "Right…. After you."

* * *

Miss Roberts praised Father Thomas to the skies. So to speak. It turned out, he had been a very enthusiastic and dedicated believer, with a completely clean slate. He didn't have any living relatives and nobody would have wanted any harm come to him. The forensics in his apartment resulted in nothing new until Chloe noticed the copy of a complaint. Posted from Father Thomas.

"This is weird. Five days ago Father Thomas pressed charges against a person unknown for alleged abduction and bodily injury…."

Lucifer strode through the meagre and cheaply decorated living room and prodded against a crossed Jesus on the wall, bored. "And how did he manage that? To file a charge for abduction, I mean."

Chloe rose a brow and shrugged. "Apparently he managed to get away." she figured, but after a moment frowned and added "Well I guess until now."

"And what kind of injury he said he had suffered?"

"Both would be described in detail in the full report. Just a sec…." She steps away, contacting the station and asked for the access to the records.

Lucifer used the time to look around a bit. He could literally feel how the room was filled with spirituality and faith towards his Father and asked himself, if perhaps the dead priest had been a true believer. Somebody, whose faith towards divinity was so deeply rooted, that he nurtured God's existence with it, but was also filled by God's grace in return. Of course, it was possible as well, that Father Thomas saw actual divinity, but that was highly unlikely. God had always held a healthy distance towards a direct influence on his precious humanity, with free will and everything and it was also a far stretch to think that perhaps one of his siblings had demeaned themselves to show up on earth all of a sudden.

"Okay, so according to the police report, Father Thomas said he has been abducted five days ago in front of St. Maria." Chloe explained as she had gotten off the phone and walked over to him, crossing her arms in thought. "He stated that someone sneaked up on him from behind, put a cloth over his mouth and nose and he fell unconscious. Next thing he remembered, is that about one hour later he got up at the exact same spot in front of the church with this weird tattoo on his forearm."

"And aside from that… nothing happened? He was just… _tattooed_? What kind of kidnapper is that supposed to be? A… compulsory… scratcher?!"

"Well… if it would only be that…"

His brows rose up. "Oh there's more?"

"There has been a hit in the databank for that symbol. Two, actually. Within the last two months two other men have been found with the same tattoo on their arms. They were clerics as well."

 _A religious killing spree? Now it's getting interesting…_ "Which makes them three already. So we are looking for a serial-priest-tattooist/murderer. Quite… uncommon, I've got to admit. Did these other two priests also mention a short-time-abduction before turning up tattooed?"

"Yes. They both also went to the police, but just like it was with Father Thomas, there simply seemed to be no clues to follow." She brushed through her hair and sighed. "And a couple of days later, they died."

"Hm. And did your database spit out any information on the symbol yet?" Lucifer asked, coughing lightly at the scratching in his throat. He felt the urgent need to get out of this place. Soon. _Hmm… now a bottle of my finest top shelf whiskey would be a blessing. I would at least get rid of this dad-forsaken incense on my tongue and in my lungs. Is it not enough that His churches smell of that stuff? Now priests were even fumigating their own houses with this nonsense…_

Chloe cleared her throat as well and for the sake of both their throats, she motioned for him to leave the apartment with her. "No, at least it doesn't look like a common symbol nowadays." As she stepped out onto the street, she took out her phone and pulled up the picture of the tattoos of the three dead priests. "It looks… old somehow, you know? Perhaps… something Nordic? Got something ancient about it." She bit on her lip thinking a moment and then threw him a nervous look. "Well, you… You are… You have been..." She covered her eyes, feeling his curious stare. "You probably have had fun flying among dinosaurs so… have you seen something like this before?" She hands him her phone.

Amused about her embarrassment by speaking of his age, he laughed. "They were rather doltish pterosaurs and had an unspeakably horrible, bad breath. But they sure as hell were fierce fighters and when you would play with their prey in front of their noses, they would- Oh hello…" Lucifer fell silent as he finally looked at the display and saw the symbol.

"You know it?" she asked with curiosity and emphasis, looking back at him.

He nodded. "How should I say. It basically... is mine." he answered hesitantly.

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"It's the Greek symbol for Hades." he explained and handed the phone back to her.

"Hades. As in... the god of the underworld?"

"Exactly. It describes both however: Me and the underworld, hell, itself. Both carry the name Hades. Ah, yes… the Greek. Funny times." He grinned with a soft laugh. "It can be a little bit confusing with the double meaning, believe me, I know."

"Wha- Wait… what?!" Her eyes widened. "You… _you_ are _Hades_? But… isn't that like a completely different belie-"

"Mythology is something that grows over hundreds, usually thousands, of years, Detective. My siblings and I appeared to humanity in whatever ways that we could. If as Osiris, Nergal, Dispater, Aita, Whiro, Pluton, Yama or Satan. It has always been _me_ , Lucifer. But you really shouldn't cudgel your brains over it." He knew the more Chloe was confronted with the scope of divinity, the more her greedy human brain would seek answers and come up with more and more questions, which ultimately would just give her a big headache.

Chloe looked at him flabbergasted, her mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish. A thunderstorm of questions began whirling around in her head, making her feel dizzy. _Right, no wracking my brain over this… Just focus._ She closed her eyes, took a deep calming breath and forced herself to focus back on the case. "Alright, good. Back to the symbol."

Lucifer held back for a moment and observed her intently, not sure whether she was actually fine or if the information might have really been a bit too much for her to handle.

"What?" she asked irritated as she noticed his direct, attentive gaze on her.

"Oh just…" He shook his head with a soft smile. "You're very impressive, you know? I have never encountered anyone who had such a high resilience as you." he said frankly and with a sparkle of admiration in his eyes. "Pretty much every other human would have lost their marbles by now…"

"I… oh…" She felt her cheeks heat up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks."

"My pleasure." He smiled softly at her but with a roguish edge to it. "So, about the symbol." He clapped and rubbed his hands. "It came into being about 3500 years ago. I had this appointment with a high priest in a brothel in Athens, you know… carnal desires and such. He asked me for something… intoxicating... so I gave it to him. A few days after that, he started spreading that symbol, praying to it and paying homage to it, telling people it belongs to the God of the Underworld." He sighed with a shrug. "I suppose the Opium took a bit of a toll on him…"

Chloe started at him and started to snicker, which earned her an irritated look from him. "Wow… you… you helped a priest to get high?" A rumble of continuous snickers followed. "Let me guess, that would certainly be on your top ten list."

He watched her and couldn't help the light laugh. Walking back to her car with her he shrugged and smiled at her, his eyes absorbing her. "No, not really. There are much more beautiful moments on that list." He chuckled, pausing a moment. Feeling his chest tighten and his heart ache, he quickly and elegantly slips into the car. "You're on it, too." As her stare was transfixed on him, he looked ahead through the windshield whilst fumbling at his cufflinks.

Her heart jumped and her stomach felt all fluffy. She felt her cheeks burn bright red as his words sank in. Nervously, she licked her lips. "More than once." she heard him add quietly and her heart began to race. However, slowly, a soft hesitant smile spread over her lips, and, in a comforting silence, they drove back to the precinct.

* * *

 **So what do you think? Thoughts? Ideas? Comments? :)**


	9. Grave Digger

Grave Digger

 **Chapter Title/Song by Blues Saraceno**

* * *

The autopsy report showed that, apart from the tattoo, there was no permanent visible impact on the victim. Officially, Father Thomas died of heart failure, the origin of which was medically difficult to explain, however. The heart muscle showed no significant damage, which would have been an indication the victim suffered from previous heart defect. The healthy physique and the condition of the organs suggested that Father Thomas had been healthily and consciously eating and living. The spontaneous heart failure therefore remained a mystery.

"Could you find something out about the ink, Ella?" Chloe asked as she placed the files of the three dead priests on the table.

Ella looked up from one of her microscopes and unplugged the earpiece of her iPhone. She twirled around and pointed both her hands like pistols at Chloe and Lucifer euphorically. "Mutant!" she called out excitedly with a big fat grin on her face.

Lucifer and Chloe shared a confused look with each other.

"Pardon me?" Lucifer frowned. "Wolverine and Co.? What do the X-Men have to do with-"

"No, dude!" Ella shook her head in a schooling manner at him. "I meant the ink! Or… whatever it is."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe asked.

"The ink isn't really ink. So get this - I compared the probe with the mixtures that are available on the market, but I got zilch. So, I decided to take a closer look at the single components of our probe and then I realized why there would be no match possible." Ella's euphoria was hard to miss. She walked over to another table with various sheets of analysis spread across it. Chloe and Lucifer stepped up to her side and curiously looked over her shoulders. "The composition is weird-shit-madness. Never saw something like that before. Okay, so, typically tattoo ink is composed of part of pigments and solvent or dispersing agent. But this not-ink has none of that."

Lucifer looked over the different sheets and pointed at one of the diagrams which was marked in a circle. He couldn't understand the short abbreviations that each line was labelled with, but the diagram seemed important enough to mark it. "Are those the components?"

She nodded. "Yes, precisely. It consists primarily of two very rare _minerals_." She watched as the expressions of both Lucifer and Chloe showed utter disbelief. "I know. Stones. I mean... _Stones_! Crazy, am I right!? Our mystery-ink, that is no ink, consists of black diamond and obsidian. Additionally it contains some small amount of oxides and carbonates-"

"Which means…?" Chloe cut in.

"Ash." she specified and turned around to them.

 _I beg your bloody pardon!?_ Lucifer's brows went up to his hairline. _All of that put together can't be a bloody coincidence… or is it?_ He looked between the sheet and Chloe pensively and tensely stretched his back, deep in thought.

"Okay good, so…" Chloe began talking while trying to come up with the next course of action. "If the components are this rare as you said, the list of possible sellers and buyers would be short accordingly, right?"

Ella nodded. "I'm gonna put together a list of official and if possible inofficials traders as well."

"Miss Lopez," Lucifer spoke up, "I can forward a very competent contact who owes me a favor. He's a specialist on the area of those shiny precious gems and well acquainted with the market. I'm certain he can help us with this." He put on a façade smile, trying to cover the concern he held on the matter. He was worried about the true origin of the components.

"Oh thanks Luce! That's nice of you!" As she saw them both slowly turning to leave, she quickly added, "Hey, um, did you see Maze? You know, I was thinking after all those things with your almost-marriage, Sinnerman-Pierce and then Charlotte's death… well maybe we could use a little fun, have another tribe night sometime."

Chloe offered her a small sad smile and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Thanks Ella, that's a nice idea. Just… give me a few more days, okay? And Maze… I honestly haven't seen her in a while. Do you know something, Lucifer?"

"Hm? No… Me and Maze have recently had a little dissent. Haven't heard from her since, but I'm sure she'll turn up eventually. Most likely dragging a criminal in handcuffs behind her." he joked. He began making his way to the door with Chloe, speaking to her quietly yet with a velvet voice. "Erm… Detective, I do need to take care of something. If you don't need me anymore for today, I would-"

"That's fine Lucifer, no worries. Guess you've got LUX to run sometimes, anyway. See you tomorrow at seven?" She offers a warm smile, realizing how close they were walking alongside each other. The heat radiated off him. _Or is it me?_ she wondered.

"Excellent. Yes of course. Until tomorrow, then, Detective." he almost purred her title with a joyful shimmer in his eyes. Then he gave Ella a nod in farewell and gracefully slipped out of the room.

Chloe was barely out of the lab herself when she heard a cheerful "Finally. Always have been team Deckerstar." from Ella, who plugged herself in for some more music before getting back to work.

* * *

The doors of the elevator slid open with a soft _ping_. As Lucifer walked over to his bar, he dropped his jacket over one of the stools, taking in a deep breath. What a disturbing case. Of course, from the first looks of it, there seemed to be no foul play involved, but nobody could avoid the coincidences of the details. All of them were priests. All had been abducted and tattooed. All had spontaneously died of heart failure. But why? Lucifer had a feeling it all somehow had to do with the symbol, but then again, he was sure the symbol itself held no power. It was just that. A symbol. Nothing more. But the components… black diamond, obsidian and ash? Could they have their origin in hell? He was certainly not feeling very keen to make a trip to hell just to find out...

He stepped behind the bar and poured himself a drink. _Better get your cogs working_ , he thought to himself. His mind wandered back to the crime scene (or at least "body recovery site") as he sank down into his couch. What was it with that weird energy he had felt and why did his senses focus on that water rivulet? So many bloody damn things didn't add up and made any kind of sense. He sighed. _How does Chloe manage to get along with a job that constantly seemed to built up headaches from all those questions flooding your mind?_ Downing his glass' contents, he rested his head back against the cushion and closed his eyes.

It was hard _not_ to think of _her_. Her mesmerizing grey-blue eyes that felt like they stripped him bare with just one look, leaving nothing but his raw self and making him feel fully exposed and vulnerable. Yet at the same time he felt protected and understood, when she was wrapping him up with her grace like a warming blanket. He could still smell her soft vanilla scent in the air and feel her hands as they hungrily explored his body in the nights of passion they had shared with each other the previous few days. But it wasn't just mere passion he had seen her get lost in so fascinatingly. It was something deeper, stronger, that she had offered to share with him and he had willingly accepted it, but only afterwards fully understood what it had been. _Love..._

Smiling to himself he opened his eyes again and refilled his glass, when suddenly he felt a shift of temperature in the room. He froze in the midst of motion and scanned the ceiling height windows towards his balcony. They were closed. Quietly he put the glass and bottle back on the table and stood up. His senses instantly sharpened to take in every detail of his surrounding and his divine detection senses ran at full speed.

A vibrating dark wraith rushed through the room in circles, moved over the walls towards his piano and bar. "What the hell…?" Lucifer murmured under his breath, his teeth grinding. "Who's there? Show yourself!" he called out into the penthouse. Pensive, he began walking around, not wanting to stay pinned to one spot. "I _know_ you're here, so don't play games with me." The wraith began to shift again in a black smokey fog-trail, wiggling and swirling along the walls. It made a turn to his piano, circling around his bowl of fruits that sat on top. Parts of the fog suddenly seemed to be less transparent, more solid, and with another swirl, the fog lifted a shiny red apple from the bowl into the air. Lucifer started to become impatient. "Are you responsible for the priests?" he called with a dark glare in his eyes, trying to draw some kind of reaction from the entity. He waited, but no response came. Instead, the wraith once again swirled around the interior of the penthouse, dropping the apple in the process, before in a blink of an eye it was gone. The moment it disappeared, Lucifer could clearly feel that whatever had been there, wasn't around any longer. As if the room felt… lighter. _Strange_ , he thought. The vibrations coming from the entity were dark, but they were not the same intensity and consistency of the feeling he had received in the alley.

Whatever had just paid him a visit, it seemed likely that it was somehow connected to the priests turning up dead with a Hades tattoo on their arms. He was certain of it because the Devil didn't believe in coincidences as Dear Old Dad was a control freak. _Control_. _Right_. That brought him back to the case. He picked up the apple, putting it back in the bowl and took out his phone to made a call.

"Hello Mercer Frey." he said with his voice smooth like velvet and a grin on his lips. "This is Lucifer Morningstar. I'm sure you remember me, yes? - Good. I'm calling in my favor. To be honest, it consists of two parts. More or less of the same purpose though. - Splendid, I wouldn't have thought any less. Alright so we both know how familiar you are with the market for rare stones, so let me just cut straight to the point. I need to know if there has been a seller/buyer for black diamond and obsidian in the last two months. And, in addition to acquiring this information, you will make sure to help Miss Ella Lopez from the LAPD setting up a list of customers that you have connections to within the business. - Don't worry, your information will be handled discreetly. - Of course... I'll be waiting." His eyes narrowed dangerously and his voice turned low. "I should certainly hope so. You don't want to find out what it's like to _not_ meet the expectations of the Devil, little Merc." He ended the call and downed yet another glass from his whiskey before heading down to LUX. After all. He _did_ have to run a nightclub and needed to show up once in a while to satisfy the seek for attention to his customers.

The club was packed and when people started to hear that the owner was granting favors. Within the space of a few minutes and a line had formed inside the club, leading to Lucifer's booth. One favor after another was granted with his usual deal to have a personal IOU to call in at a later time. Nobody objected. Because who could resist the charms of the Devil? Sipping from his drink, he watched with a smirk as his latest deal stepped away happily, only to be replaced by a sturdy, muscular woman who stepped into his sight. As he looked up, his jaw tensed.

"Mazikeen." he said lowly, speaking her name like venom.

Maze stood in front of him _almost_ devotedly. But she had certainly lost the stance of fierceness and intractability towards her former master, after her latest plot against him. Her eyes couldn't hold his stare as his orbs seemed to pierce right through her flesh. So she looked down to the ground. "Lucifer I'm-" She hesitated.

" _What_ , Maze?! You are _what_?" he hissed, feeling the wave of hot wrath boiling up inside him. Swallowing, he forced his body to submit to his will. To not let the hellfire flame up in his eyes. To not get up and rip her to shreds for what she had done to Trixie, Chloe and him. He took a deep breath. "Speak." he growled deeply and light himself a cigarette.

"I screwed up. Big time, I know. And I'm sorry, Lucifer." She waved with a hand and made an almost delusional looking move, letting out a miserable laugh. "You get it? I _feel_ sorry." she hissed the word with disgust. "When the hell did that happen, Lucifer? I honestly feel sorry, alright!? And it sucks to feel like that. And I suck at this whole fucking topic."

He let out a humorless laugh. "Well you can thank my Dad for that, I suppose." Lucifer murmured, blowing out a gust of smoke. When she frowned at him he shrugged. "Looks like the whole guilt-scheme wasn't just something exclusively applied to humans, but angels and demons as well. So," he raised his glass at her mockingly. "Welcome to the club."

Maze shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "What can I do?"

"Isn't that obvious? Make amends, Mazi."

"Stop treating me like an idiot, okay? Just… just tell me how." she reluctantly grumbled.

"Well how about trying to gain my trust again, Maze? Take responsibility for your actions. I've started with it myself and it's beginning to pay out."

She nodded. "I am. I mean… I've _started_. I've talked with Linda… that's where I stayed the past few days. She's… helping me."

"Don't you dare break my therapist." he mused lightly, the ice between them starting to crack.

"I won't. Besides. She's quite the badass herself." Maze couldn't help but grin at that. Then however her expression dropped again and she appeared sad. "I also gotta talk with the kid and Decker." As she saw Lucifer getting up, she made a step backwards, unsure of his intentions. "I swear, I won't screw it up again. I mean… I... I try to avoid it."

Lucifer stubbed out his cigarette and looked at her for a long moment. "How about you start with them right away, tomorrow?" he spoke gently. An olive-branch. Not to make things even, but to carry the ball of their healing process.

Of course Maze understood his offer. He put the wellbeing of Chloe and her kid before his own. And Maze knew that by showing her remorse to Chloe and Trixie, she'd at least gain a tiny fraction of respect and trust from Lucifer back. And she was aware that it would take time for him and her. "Thank you." she said quietly, now looking straight back at him.

He nods at her. "I believe we should have a little post-Pierce meeting sometime."

"We should. There's still a lot of stuff to clear up between us, Lucifer." She swallowed. She wasn't the only traitor here. He'd taken part in it as well. They both knew it. He could have shown her more gratitude and not just take everything she did for granted as if she were his pet. She did have self respect after all. Naturally that would be something Lucifer would appreciate, but in her case, he seemed to have forgotten about it. And he forgot a lot of important things especially when Chloe was involved.

"Indeed, there is." He pointed to her collarbone, which still showed bruising and some cuts that hadn't fully healed yet. "Nothing too major, I suppose." he spoke it as a fact, even though it was a hidden question at her.

"Nothing I couldn't handle. You should've seen the other guys." She offered him a small smile that he returned before she turned around and left the club.

With a swift move, Lucifer grabbed a new glass from the passing waitress' tray, a slight smile tugging at his lips. Sure he was still mad at Maze. But nothing he did would hold a candle to the guilt she was already feeling. And if anybody could relate to guilt, it would be the Devil after all. And he had realized that he had to take part of the blame himself as well. Things didn't just change on their own. Action - reaction. He had hurt her in the first place. But besides everything that had happened between them lately, they had shared millennia in hell together. A place where kindness had no fertile ground to grow on. Everybody and everything in hell had been a fight that could only be won, by continuously keeping the upper hand. In order to do so, creating a demon to help him had become a necessity. And over these thousands and thousands of years, she had grown to be a part of him. Family in a way. Or at least something that came close to it. She had been a lot of things. His loyal demon, a companion, at times also a partner to share carnal desires. She had certainly been considered more of a family than the rest of his heavenly kinship, of that he was certain. And he would not let these times simply vanish from his memory, just because of her acting out on earth. Not after everything they had both been through. They both deserved the time to adjust and learn, he figured.

* * *

"Hey monkey. You still drawing?"

"Mhm."

Dark hazel orbs focused on drawing the colorful lines with such precision, Chloe almost snickered. Trixie had instantly retreated into her room as soon as Dan had brought her back over. Now she had been scribbling for the last three hours straight, without speaking more than the average 'yeah' and 'okay, mom'. Chloe leaned against the doorframe, watching her daughter kneel on the floor with several sheets of paper spread all over it. In between the seemingly finished drawings, there were dozens of crumpled balls. Drawings which she had obviously not deemed good enough.

"Will you let me take a look, sweetie?" she asked, noticing how she rubbed the glue stick on the current drawing before applying a few sprinkles of her newly acquired golden glitter on it.

Trixie carefully removed the excess glitter onto an empty sheet and sat back up straight. She looked over her shoulder with a thoughtful expression, as it seemed she debated whether or not her artwork was ready for a first glimpse on it. "Mmkay. But it's not finished."

Careful not to step on any of her drawing utensils, Chloe came closer and kneeled down next to her daughter, who took a gray pencil and continued with her current masterpiece. As she glanced over Trixie's shoulder, she felt her heart contract. The painting showed the scenery of a funeral, the stick figures spread over the sheet were easy to make out: Trixie held Dan to her left. Right sided to her were Chloe and Lucifer, both also hand in hand with each other. They all looked up into the sky where Trixie had drawn voluminous clouds and floating on them was Charlotte, who waved down at them with a smile. Into the background she was now painting with the gray something onto the clouds, which Chloe couldn't make out, yet.

"That's really beautiful, monkey." she said quietly.

"Thanks, Mommy. I'm going to give it to dad when it's finished."

"I'm sure he's going to love it." She softly kissed the top of her head. "What's that what you're adding to the clouds?"

"The Silver City." she said matter-of-factly. She must have realized Chloe's silence and felt her stare on her when she added. "That means _heaven_ , mom."

She swallowed. "Oh, of course. I see." Of course her daughter had picked up on Lucifer's speech about heaven every now and then. She just hadn't thought her to remember that particular name. It made her wonder what else he might have told her or what other snippets of information she caught up in conversations of him. Whatever she thought to know though, she seemed okay with it and that was what was important to Chloe.

Putting down the gray pencil eventually she turned to her mother and looked back at her. "We all gonna go there when we're old. And then we see each other again." She seemed to hesitate suddenly and started to fumble at her sweater.

Chloe gently took her closer and took her hands in her. "What is it, sweetie?"

It was hard to miss how Trixie was troubled and sad. "Dad said you had a few days off from work. But usually when you have holidays we do something together. And this time… Dad said you didn't feel well and that you needed some time to yourself." Trixie's eyes watered and her voice trembled with worry. "Did a bad guy hurt you again mommy?"

Fighting down her own tears, she quickly pulled Trixie into a tight embrace, letting her little child cry out the fear she seemed to have carried around for the past few days. So much had happened and it was no wonder, that she had picked up the atmosphere and had of course seen all the sad and devastated looks of the people surrounding her, whenever people thought she might not be looking. But she wasn't blind and also not stupid. Quite the contrary, as Trixie had picked up even the slightest changes in conversations and behavior. "Oh monkey, I'm so, so sorry." she spoke softly into her daughter's hair as she let her nuzzle close. "The bad guy hurt me a little, yes. But Lucifer protected me and helped me catch him. So he can't hurt anyone anymore. And I'm much better now sweetie, so don't worry."

Trixie sniffed for a short while longer, but soon had calmed down from Chloe's caress. Wiping away the remains of her tears from her red cheeks, she looks up at her mother with pleading eyes. "You need to be more careful. Because we have to go to heaven when we are _old_. And we're not old yet mom."

At that Chloe laughed lightly and nodded. "True. We're not that old, yet."

"You promise to be more careful?"

"I promise, monkey. But you know my job is dangerous sometimes. I have to step up for the people who can't defend themselves, and catch the bad guys."

"I know, mom." She sighs and then grins at her. "So you have to keep Lucifer around! You can protect the people and he can protect you. He always protects you, because he reeeeally likes you."

If it would all just be so simple, she thought when her mind wandered back to when she was helping the Devil to pull out over three dozen of bullets from his wings after he had protected her with them. "Yeah. I suppose that would work." she answered with a gentle smile.

"Can he come over and make us breakfast again? I haven't seen him since such a long time."

It was heartbreaking. Trixie had grown so fond of Lucifer, despite him always whining about the burdens you'd have to take with children and how they'd always find treacherous, sneaky ways to make you succumb to their will. Real demons, he called them, although never addressing Trixie as such in a truly mean way. The truth was that Lucifer had grown to like her daughter quite a lot and that somehow Trixie managed to simply wiggle her way gently into people's hearts. After everything her little girl had to go through, she could fully understand that she longed to see Lucifer again, because he was a person that she knew was good for her and Chloe. Always. "I will ask him, alright? Now come on, monkey. Brush your teeth and then I'll read you your bedtime story."

"Cool! Can you read me from 'Rudolph Sackville-Bagg'? Pleeease?"

"Sure Trixie babe. Now chop chop."

And with a quick kiss to her mother's cheek she cheerfully ran to the bathroom.

* * *

 **Small Easteregg involved. I wonder if anyone noticed. XD Don't worry, it's not relevant to the story. I can reveal it next chapter for you :D**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hmm... what do you think this is all about?! :D**


	10. Count On Me

Count On Me

 **Chapter Title/Song by Bruno Mars**

* * *

The next day at work Chloe went through the available ME reports of the previously found priests and made sure to go the extra mile. She checked with neighbors, relatives, and friends once again, but the results stayed the same, and nothing new came up. Nobody saw anything, and there was nothing strange about the priests' backgrounds. Lucifer almost couldn't believe that all of the clerics had a clean slate, as he had suspected them to somehow have some nasty hidden secret that he accuses of pretty much everyone walking the earth. As the day had turned out to not chasing any new clues, Lucifer escaped the boredom of the confines of the precinct and its deadly paper-towers, before Chloe could even feel the need arise to throw him out herself, because he was fumbling around with items on her desk or messing around with the vending machine.

When she arrived at home after a dead-boring day, she startled at seeing Maze sitting at her kitchen counter. Chloe carefully closed the door behind her, feeling her heartbeat increase by the minute. _Maze. Demon. Lucifer's demon. Well, not anymore, as Lucifer had explained… but still. A demon from hell. Hell's greatest torturer… And she and Trixie hung out as best friends. Not anymore either…_ She swallowed thickly, but aside from the odd sensation of cautiousness towards her because of her very being, she felt anger rise up inside her as well. Because of how much she had hurt Trixie and her.

"Deck-... Chloe." Maze said correcting herself with a soft sigh, pushing away her bowl of vodka drenched cereals and walked up towards her. "We've gotta talk."

Chloe put aside her purse and got out of her jacket. "Yeah we do."

Maze felt similar vibes coming from Chloe as they had come from Lucifer the day before, when the eyes of the detective stared at her like cold daggers. She stood in a decent distance, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Where's the kid?" she asked eventually, wrapping her arms around herself and chewing on her bottom lip. It was obvious that she was not sure how to handle what was going on inside her. _Fuckin' emotions…_

"She's over at a friend's place, she's doing her homework there. She should be coming home in about an hour." Chloe explained, gauging her for a moment. It was just now that she realized how horrible her former roommate looked. She had half-healed cuts and various bruises covering her neck, collar, and arms, which she discreetly tried to cover through one of her half-see-through dominatrix clothes that only Maze seemed to be able to wear without blushing.

"Oh, okay… then…" She licked her lips, hesitating. "So… you know how I am with all this… this…"

"Human emotion stuff?" Chloe helped, probing, but also now a bit clearer on Maze's situation since her big revelation from Lucifer.

"Yeah, I mean it's really complex and hard to explain, when people just won't believe me that-"

"I know the truth now, Maze. I've seen Lucifer. So… I believe you on who and what you are or… _were_."

Baffled about these news, Maze just stared back at her in disbelief. "You... saw him?" she repeated and saw Chloe nod. "And... you're sane. I mean, that's good. I guess." She broke off, sighing and taking several attempts to continue. But again, Chloe beat her to it.

"Well yeah, I am sane. We'll see if it's gonna stay that way, given Lucifer's record of being able to surprise the literal hell out of situations." She exhaled a tensed breath, brushing through her hair. "Listen, who and what you are is one thing Maze and I guess I'm just needing a bit of time to get along with your demon-ness. But the way you treated me and especially Trixie? That's a whole different story."

"I know, Chloe. I was… I'm so sorry. I was so angry with the world… I'm not made for _this_. _Earth_. Human emotions. Feelings. _Caring_." She swallowed, lowering her eyes to the ground. "Everyone expected for me to behave decent, and normal, whatever that meant to them, but it was certainly human standards and I just… I didn't know where I belonged. Look, I don't want to defend myself and what I did. I was behaving like an ass, no matter the circumstances of myself. I was mean to the people who were closest to me and who cared for me more than I realized."

"You sure as hell have- God damn- Ugh! I see now why Lucifer gets so frustrated about those expressions…" Chloe shook her head lightly and moved closer. "Maze... I'll be honest. You were acting like a mean bitch."

Maze's posture was involuntarily crumbling, like it had never done before. Usually she didn't care one bit about a verbal fistfight, but now she seemed to be knocked down from the weapons that were at play. Emotions were cutting her deeper than her hell daggers ever could, she thought. "There… there is more. This topic… I haven't spoken with Lucifer about it yet. But you should know the full truth right away on what happened."

Frowning, Chloe slowed in her movement, thinking of her gun still in her holster. "What do you mean, 'there's more'? More of _what_ exactly?" Her voice hardened, accusingly.

"I was angry at Lucifer, okay? And I was… I was jealous and I wanted to hurt him, because he had hurt me, so I… I teamed up with Cain to play a double game. I just wanted to go back to hell and Lucifer didn't want to take me."

"You teamed up with Cain, meaning… Pierce? You _knew_ what he was up to?!" _Wow this… this is fucked up._

"I didn't, Chloe, please. I swear I didn't know how far Pierce would be going. I thought he just wanted to hurt Lucifer and hook up with you, so that Lucifer would just go back to hell with me… I didn't know about his thugs and activities until it was already too late."

She stayed quiet, debating on what Maze just told her, thinking about what her actions had caused in the long run. She had added to so much damage with her behavior, but no matter what, she hadn't been the main cause of them. The main player had still been Pierce. She suddenly realized something. "Wait a sec, how… how do you know about the thugs? Did Lucifer tell you what happened?"

Maze clenched her teeth, her head shaking reluctantly. "No… I had the _pleasure_ of meeting them before a bunch of them were on their way to you. When I escaped, I couldn't do anything anymore, I… I thought it was all over and too late."

"I assume the beating was from them?" Chloe pointed at her bruises. When Maze responded with a quiet nod, she responded with an accepting nod on her own. "And am I also right to assume you took care of the thugs on your way out? You know. Hellraiser-style?" she offered a slight smile, really not wanting for a continuous tension to stay in the air between them.

"I did and I send the info on their location to your co-workers, so they could take care of them in your weird law system." She pursed her lips. "I swear, some of the scum still walking on earth I'd be so happy to torture here and see if I could make them turn their lives around, just so they don't fill up hell with yet another pathetic boring soul once they die."

"Right…" Moving around the counter, she grabbed herself a fresh bottle of wine, pouring herself a glass up to the brim. "Okay, you know what? You and I sit down, and you give me the full story. And then I will tell you what I think. Is that alright?"

The demon pinched her sharp brows in wonder. _Even though Chloe is certainly still angry at me, I haven't expected for her to be acting so… so… reasonable… Damn… she is so… kind. Ugh! And it feel so… awkwardly… warm in my chest. What the hell is that? Is that this strange thing that came up when I had run to Linda?_ She realized she hadn't yet answered Chloe, but stared blankly into empty space as Chloe had already moved around her and made herself comfortable on her couch. "A-alright. But… are you sure about the _whole_ story thing? Could be quite a handful…"

Chloe let out a soft snort. "Yeah I mean, you can skip a few topics. I'll let you know. And you gotta allow me some heckling in between on things I didn't get."

"Sure thing." Maze agreed, grabbed the bottle of vodka from the table and joined her on the couch. "So. Let's start at my creation then."

"Sure." Chloe murmured a bit sarcastically, wondering if there was actually any good way to prepare herself for what she about to listen to, other than having a bottle of wine along with it.

"I am the product of two archdemons that-" she began and met immediately and irritated look from Chloe.

"Wait, hold on. When I asked about your origins for the first time you said that you were 'Forged in the bowels of Hell to torture the guilty for all of eternity'. What does that mean?"

Maze sighed and took the bottle of wine from the table to take a big swig. "In the deepest abyss of hell, the archdemons Lilith and Ophur have brought me into the world. I was granted my own physical form, but only with a flaw of my face."

Chloe swallowed. "Your face? Like… something like Lucifer's Devil face?"

She bit on her lip nervously. "I… I guess, somewhat. But... different."

"Show me." Chloe blurted out, her eyes transfixed on Maze's face, curious and expectant.

 _Fucking shit, Decker is in it for real. Did Lucifer really show her? And she's still sane? Damn it, and she's looking at me like a freaking meerkat…_ She closed her eyes briefly and felt the skin on the left side of her face tingle. She knew it had changed and could feel how her heart was throbbing, threatening to burst out of her chest from nervosity. Opening her eyes she searched the expression of the Detective to see if she was alright.

 _Holy fucking Jesus Christ on a glass bicycle… What the actual fuck..?_ Chloe's expression seemed frozen for at least half a minute, all the while Maze was starting to squirm next to her, anxious and worried that since Lucifer not had broken her mind, she had just done it. Eventually, Chloe blinked and frowned, pointing at her own jaw and left eye to mimic the area of Maze's disfigurement. "Is that… Can you even… I mean… does… does it hurt?"

She stared back at the human with both her white eye and her normal looking one, wondering what the hell just happened. "That… _that's_ what you're worried about?" she stuttered, shaking her head in disbelief. _What in the forsaken clouds of heaven has this shithead of a God done when He created Chloe? Was He on drugs or something? Chloe certainly didn't react like any other human that has seen my demon face..._

Chloe reached out and grabbed back the bottle of wine, to take a big gulp from it herself, her eyes never leaving Maze's face. "So? Does it?"

"N-no. I was born like this. It's just quite a conversation killer, so I use a glamour." Maze explained before changing her face back to said glamour face.

"Well… it wasn't a conversation killer for me." She pulled her legs up onto the couch and turned fully towards her. "Alright. So we got that cleared up. What's next?"

* * *

The hour had passed by with Chloe listening intently to Maze's story, genuinely curious about her and actually asking quite a lot of questions on her thoughts and feelings, but often times Maze found herself stuck. That however, didn't bother Chloe all too much as she understood how hard it must be for her, not having ever really been in the land of emotions herself and she hadn't just lived a couple of years but _millennia_. So being confronted with something entirely new to your world's concept would be quite the shocker.

Maze still felt very conflicted and confused during the whole conversation. A lot of things that Chloe had asked her on her own thoughts and behavior where things she never considered before. Questions about her very being that she had never asked herself, because it simply hadn't been relevant. But throughout the conversation something inside her shifted and she appreciated Chloe's openness and curiosity as well as her honest responds on matters where Maze had screwed up in the spectrum of social human interactions and values. _Values_. _What a strange new concept…_

The last few minutes of their talk Maze and Chloe had both fallen into a continuous set of snickers and giggles about Lucifer's hatred towards the connection of him towards goats being made and how much he enjoyed playing music with the big ones humanity had brought forth. Most of them had sadly ended in hell, usually not because they were evil. But they have carried a whole lot of guilt, because of their abusive behavior with drugs or how they thought they treated others badly. The doorbell rang, pulling them both out of their joyous moment, and Chloe could see as Maze was instantly tensing up with worry.

"It's gonna be okay, Maze. Just… tell her the truth and give her some time. But.. you know… not _that_ truth." she quickly corrected herself on the way to the door.

"I get it, Decker. No demon face." Maze nodded. She hadn't told her yet, about Halloween with Trixie. That would be quite interesting… She waited at the stairs a bit in the background, while Chloe answered the door. She watched how another woman greet Chloe, exchanged some small chit chat and left after the exchange of a hug. As Chloe stepped aside, Trixie appeared in the doorframe, walked inside and dropping her school bag on her way to the fridge. When her eyes suddenly caught notice of Maze, her happy-face immediately dropped.

"What's _she_ doing here?" she grumbled towards her mother as her eyes glared at Maze.

The demon fumbled with her sleeves, throwing Chloe a look as if to say _Help, Decker! Fucking HELP!_

"Monkey," Chloe softly began as she moved to her and crouched down to be on eyelevel with her. "Maze is here to talk with you, and I think you should hear her out."

Trixie bit on her lower lip, thinking. "Why?"

"Because you're smart, and a good person. Give her a chance to talk to you about everything and then you can still decide on whether or not you wanna see her, okay?"

Her daughters' expression stayed cautious and still a bit grumpy, but Chloe could see a small little spark and change in her eyes when she finally nodded after a silent minute. "Fine." Trixie stepped up to Maze and pushed her hands to her hips. "Let's talk in my room."

* * *

"So, what's it you wanna say, Maze?" Trixie asked as she dropped onto her chair, observing as Maze closed the door behind her and stepped into her room.

"I wanted to apologize…" She fumbled a strand of hair away from her face and shifted her weight. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't really think about what I was saying."

"Why did you anyway?" Her big brown eyes looked hurt as she seemed to become smaller in her chair.

"Some things happened to me that upset me and then things happened to me that scared and confused me." she tried to explain. Uneasy to just stand at the spot, she began pacing. "Look, kiddo, I wasn't in a good place with myself and… and I shouldn't have said what I said. It poured out of me because I was so angry, but I've realized that I was wrong. Not only for what I said, but… It's also not the truth. You're not stupid and you're not a brat…" She sighed looking back at her, expecting some sort of response, but Trixie kept quiet and just stared back at her.

"I… ugh… I'm horrible with this! Talking about _emotions_ and all that stuff, ya know? I've never done that." Again she looked over her side towards the little girl she had grown to like so much, but she wouldn't speak. "Damn it, kiddo, I wish I could turn back time so I would've never said that. I wanna play demon and prey with you and teach you all the badass ninja moves I know, because I enjoy spending time with you and you make me feel… you… you make me feel… better..." Maze clenched her jaw, fighting a weird sensation rumbling through her chest and something stinging in her eyes. "Hell… you even make me feel… _good_." she added, grimacing at the sound and feel the word caused in stomach.

Trixie frowned deep in thought, making Maze even more nervous then she had been throughout her whole monologue. She squinted her eyes, bit on her lip and eventually… "You were _scared_? I thought demons never get scared."

 _That was what the kid is wondering about? She… she isn't even addressing the rest of my freaking revelation?_ _Damn, she's really so much like Decker._ "Well… I… yeah. Ya know… I thought I wouldn't be afraid of anything in my life. Because… I saw a lot of scary stuff, but I could handle it all." She stepped over to her small bed and sat down with a sigh.

"So what happened? What got you scared?"

Maze sighed grabbing one of Trixies stuffed toys, a little octopus with a top hat. "I realized that… that I had pushed people away from me and… I realized I was alone, because of that. I had been an ass towards everyone who was a friend to me and then I felt completely empty… it was scaring the shit out of me..."

Trixie watched as Maze squeezed the toy, looking at it with a downcast look on her face. She jumped up with a light frown, swiftly walked over to the depressed demon and threw herself onto her. "Well you're not alone. So you don't have to feel afraid anymore."

The woman could hardly understand what was happening to her. _Fuck, is this what Lucifer is mumbling about all the time? Maybe I should take sessions at Linda's as well…_ The tension in her chest seemed to burst all of a sudden and an odd but nice feeling of warmth spread inside her, easing her mind and body. "Are… are you saying that… that you forgive me?"

"Yep." she chimed and snuggled against her demon friend. "You will teach me some more ninja moves, right away, though, okay?"

"Sure, kiddo. As long as you want."

"So let's say everyday after I come home from school?" she probed with a cheeky grin.

"Deal." Maze nodded with a soft smile. Her chest felt a gazillion pounds lighter all of a sudden and she felt… relieved. Yes, this was definitely what she wanted, she realized. She would stay here with the Decker girls, and with Lucifer. Even though she was freed from her vow to him, and she very much appreciated the freedom he gave her, she still and gladly had a strong bond with the Lord of Hell. If she could assist and it wouldn't go against her own principles, she would always help him.

* * *

 ** **So there you go; A bit of a gentle peacemaking between the Decker girls and Maze. Something sweet and gentle before we get back to crazy actions going on! :) Next Chapter will be released on Friday and the upcoming Chapters will in general be longer than this one. I merely wanted to give the girls an appropriate Chapter to deal with things. I appreciate your thoughts and feedback and any wild guesses! :D** **

**And as for my little Easteregg from the previous Chapter: Mercer Frey is a character in the game Skyrim. He's the leader of the Thieves Guild, although, ironically, turning out to be cheating on his own guild and working against it, to gain profit only for himself. At the End of the Thieves Guilds questline, the player catches Mercer Frey as he is about to steal a gigantic gemstone from an ancient ruin. Sorry. I am a gamer-girl... I even studied that stuff lol. Anyhow, I see you on Friday! ;-)**


	11. Sky Is Falling

Sky Is Falling

 **Chapter Title/Song by Bret Levick**

 **Here we go! As promised a longer chapter with lots of stuff going on! Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Three more days passed by and yielded no results for the case. Lucifer's contact, Mercer Frey, had, in his own research for the Devil, not yet found a buyer _or_ seller of the precious and rare minerals. The list of his own contacts that he had provided to Ella was quite tedious to work through and took its time.

It was late afternoon when Chloe was notified of yet another priest found dead. The air had only slightly become cooler, as it was usual for LA, even though they were inevitably reaching winter time. With Lucifer right by her side, the two approached the crime scene, seeing Ella doing a preliminary analysis on the body.

"Hey Ella, what have we got?"

"You mean aside from this horrible stench of what's probably a dead animal around the corner?" She made a disgusted sniffing noise and shook herself before focusing back on the corpse. "Meet Father Clint Henning. Forty-two years old. And just to get straight to the point: He's tattooed, just like the others. No visible injuries on the first glance." She sighed and pulled forward the arm of the priest. "The arm shows scratches at the area. Also this tattoo looks as if it is only a few days old, tops."

Chloe nodded thoughtfully. "So… the interval is becoming shorter." she concluded. She glanced at her partner, who had once again begun to walk around, not paying much attention to the body.

"Which begs the questions as to why that is and if it leads to some grand finale." Lucifer murmured with a frown. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air was filled with its usual boring nuances and smell of decay, although mixed up delightfully with the flowery lightness of Chloe's lavender shampoo and her own vanilla tinted scent. As he opened his eyes again, he focused on what he had felt at the previous crime scene.

The feeling of darkness lingered thickly in the air, much more than it had been a few days ago, making the neck on his hair stand up. He scanned the walls and ground for something that stuck out until he saw a strange shimmering about fifteen meters away on the ground. He swiftly made his way over to what seemed to be a foot-wide waterstream with an odd green glow. Following it up to its origin he saw that, just like the previous time, the water seemed to flow out of a crack in the nearest wall. And just like before, he noticed the brown, withered grass along its path, dead little insects along its way and in the corner the busy humming of green flies, indicating the process of decay - possibly that of a stray cat or a rat.

"Lucifer? What is it?" Chloe stepped up behind him, not sure what her partner was looking at.

Pensively Lucifer stared ahead. "This." he muttered and pointed at the small stream, while crouching down to take a closer look.

Chloe frowned, squinted her eyes and looked over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

But Lucifer was again deep in focus, not really paying attention to her as his eyes scanned the stream. It was when he stopped roaming his eyes over it, but actually looked deeper into the water, when he noticed it. Although the rivulet appeared to be just a foot-wide and maybe a centimeter deep, Lucifer could clearly gaze deeper through the water. Much deeper. His surrounding became a blur as all his senses concentrated on the depth of the stream, when suddenly he heard them: Long, haunted moans and screams of agony and despair, interrupted every now and then from monstrous snarls and growls. They sounded hollow and far away, but he could clearly hear them coming from deep within the stream. "What the hell…?" he breathed, his body tensed up in an instant when he finally understood _what_ he was gazing at. "How's that possi-" he whispered.

"Excuse me…!" the happy, soft voice of a female CSI rang out as she brushed her way carefully past Chloe and Lucifer. A camera strapped around her neck, she stepped ahead and began taking pictures for the investigation. Lucifer frowned as he saw the woman walking towards the shimmering stream. She didn't seem to notice or pay any attention to it. A bad feeling built up inside him. Just as he was raising up and was about to call out to her, he saw her walk right through the stream, as if it wasn't really there. What happened next felt as if he was watching it in slow motion.

The forensics woman made just one more step, before her whole body dropped to the ground as if every muscle in her body simply stopped working from one moment to the next. She unceremoniously landed sideways on the pavement, the expensive camera crashing next to her on the asphalt. Her eyes rolled back and her body began to spasm forcefully.

Lucifer noticed from the corner of his eyes as Chloe and two other officers started to rush towards her. He could already see them walking past him, through the waterstream, yelling for assistance. "No... " he breathed in disbelief, feeling as Chloe was moving from his side to react and rush to aid the woman on the ground. "Chloe no! Wait!" he said coldly and without thinking about it, his hand had closed around Chloe's wrist in an iron grip.

She turned at him, angrily and confused. "Lucifer let me go! We need to help her!" She pulled hard, trying to get free from his hand, but to no avail. He didn't let her go. Instead, he pulled her firmly towards himself, while shouting out to the people rushing past them.

"Stop! Don't move! You're getting yourself-" But it all happened too fast. He couldn't stop them. "Oh Dad no…" he breathed in despair. The two officers who had guarded the entrance to the street had rushed over to the seizing woman on the ground. They both passed through the shimmering waterstream and one after another lost their footing and sank to the ground, suffering from spastic waves that made their bodies twist and arch, almost looking like stranded fish that were slowly suffocating.

And then, they fell silent. Their gazes were staring ahead of them. Blank. Dull. Dead.

"Oh my god… what the hell is happening…?" Chloe whispered in shock. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the scene in front of her in disbelief, still trying to get free from Lucifer's hold.

Ella came swiftly moving over to them as well and only due to his tall frame and long reach, Lucifer was able to get a quick hold onto the latina's jacket, likewise holding her back.

"¡Dios mío! Oh no, ¿qué pasa aquí? ¡Déjame ir, Lucifer! Please! No!" Ella cried in despair as she, too, tried to get away from Lucifer and to help her work colleagues.

"Miss Lopez, no! You can't make a step closer!" he insisted sternly and stared intently back at Chloe and Ella. "Do not move, do you understand me?"

"Lucifer we have to help them! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Chloe shouted and vigorously slapped against him to try to get away. "We've got to follow protocol and help them! Are you insane!? Let us go! They need our help!"

He forcefully pulled her towards him so that she spun around and finally faced him. "Look at me, Detective." he spoke softer now, but heavy. "They're dead. You cannot help them anymore."

She shook her head in disbelief. "But you don't know-"

"I _do_ know." he insisted and waited for her to stop flailing around at him. " _Chloe_." he spoke her name with emphasis. His look was troubled and he desperately wanted to tell her what he knew, but he needed a workaround. He couldn't have people wandering around like that, when there was such an immediate danger of death lingering around.

Chloe's eyes glistened from grief and shock and began searching in Lucifer's firm stare at her, what was going on. She realized suddenly, that he didn't want to hold her, but that he felt that he _had_ to. He was worried about her. As his words sank in, she blinked and shook her head in wonder. "What do you mea-"

"I _mean_ , that we should _not_ get any closer, because the people that _did_ , ended up _dead_ two seconds later. So perhaps there is… _something_ here, that causes-" he began to explain, trying to make her understand that there is something, that a human is not meant to know about and be confronted with, such as the Devil working with them side by side.

"Oh my god! You're right! There could be some kind of gas or some contamination going on here." Ella exclaimed, cutting Lucifer off. "I gonna call CDC." She began to make a step back and Lucifer gently let go off her with a sigh.

"Well, yes. That or… _something otherworldly_." he spoke lowly, giving Chloe a look and she finally understood.

"Oh…" she breathed and looked at Lucifer urgently. "What's going on here Lucifer?" she whispered, knowing that the conversation Lucifer and her were about to have, would certainly not be possible to explain to anyone of the department.

Lucifer made sure that the other officers and forensics around them were not moving anywhere near the stream and then indicated at Chloe with a nod. "Do you see the water over there?"

"What?" She turned and scanned the area he looked at, right in front of them, but she shook her head with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

"You can't see it." he murmured with an understanding and thoughtful nod before he sighs. "Bloody hell, that's going to make it even more complicated than it already is." he grumbled and took a deep breath. "Right ahead of us is a small waterstream going from there" he indicated to the house wall, "over here. You cannot see it, but _I_ can. It's the Styx. It seems to bleed through the earthly plane-"

Chloe placed her hands to his chest, gesturing him to pause for her human mind to catch up. "Wait, hold on. What is the Styx?"

"It's the river of hell. You know, the river of the dead with the story of the ferryman that you need to pay in order to cross? _That_ river."

Her mind ran a marathon. Hell had a river?! What the fuck? She faintly remembered some Disney movie about it and looked at him confused. "Isn't… isn't that part of the Greek mythology? Just like your symbol?"

Lucifer nodded. "Yes, that would be correct. Chloe, I saw a rivulet at the location where Father Thomas died as well, but it was smaller. I assume there have also been appearances at the previous dead priests. Remember how I was searching for something in that alley? I had sensed the energy of something dark, but I didn't understand until now." He swallowed, looking over at the dead bodies. "Whatever living organism the Styx touches, dies. Because it is part of hell. It isn't meant to be here."

"Okay. Let me think." she brushed her hair out of her face and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We need to get this area locked down, so nobody accidentally walks through this invisible rivulet."

He nodded. "I agree. And I suggest that we also check the previous locations where the priests have been found. If my guess is correct, then the cracks that are appearing, might have started small, but are growing with each new victim."

Together they swiftly taped off and secured the area. Lucifer made sure to guide Chloe carefully so that she didn't get anywhere near the stream. As Ella asked why they aren't waiting on CDC, Chloe kindly brushed her off with a made up excuse and told her to not go into the taped area. They informed her that they needed to check back on the other locations and headed off. Chloe informed the precinct of the news as best as she could without bending the truth too much for her mind and hearts sake.

Lucifer fumbled with his cufflink as he rested his head against the side window of her car. "This is bad, Chloe. And when I say bad, I mean on a _celestial scale_ bad. Like… apocalyptic."

She swallowed down the lump in her throat. _Shit!_ This was all just too big for her to grasp and handle. _I mean, I'm just a tiny ant compared to this mess! A freaking celestial scaled apocalypse? And I'm working on this case with the Devil?! What have I gotten myself into!?_ She felt her mind momentarily slip out of sanity. Lucifer seemed to notice the tight grip she had on the steering wheel and her trembling in her seat next to him as he turned to look at her with a worried frown.

"It's ok, I'm fine." she quickly said. Too quick, apparently and the vehement nod that accompanied the statement seemed to only take away any remaining ounces of credibility.

"You're not," Lucifer simply stated and reached over, gently squeezing her shoulder.

"Right… But it doesn't matter, does it?" He stayed silent, and she took a deep breath, stopping the car as they came to a red light. "So. Do you know what's going on here? I mean… why… how is this... Styx bleeding through, as you say?"

"It's only a thought..."

"Alright… shoot. This is your specialty I suppose, not mine."

"With the Styx bleeding through, it's only a matter of time when hell is literally coming to earth. I'm talking demons and monsters whose existence you would refer to with a geological age. Horrors that you simply cannot comprehend without being driven insane." He licked his lips nervously.

"So, the question is, who would want hell to flood over to earth, then?" Chloe asked, trying to push away the images of creatures from all kinds of horror movies she had seen so far. They wouldn't even come close to what Lucifer was describing.

He sighed. "That would probably be everyone in hell holding a grudge against me, Dad and humanity, I suppose, which rules out almost no one except for perhaps my most loyal servants." He fell silent for a moment, looking at his Onyx ring in thought. "I also don't understand what this symbol on the priests is all about. Why mark them with it?"

The traffic light turned green and Chloe followed the directions to the location where the first priest had been found dead. "Okay let's just try a hypothesis then."

"What do you mean?"

"Assuming a person is religious and is a really good guy, with nothing to feel guilty about. Said person dies and goes to…?"

"Heaven, obviously." he finished for her, casually. "It doesn't matter if one is religious though. And said person wouldn't go to heaven if he or she has been a bloody religious psychopath, of course. Why?" he frowned.

"Well, hypothetically speaking, could a mark of the underworld somehow have an influence on that? I mean, what would happen if _somehow_ , not really sure how, but just somehow, a person that is _supposed_ to go to heaven, would be forced to go to hell instead? Is that even possible?"

"That… would mean the symbol would overwrite the whole concept of guilt my Father invented." He ran his fingers along his cheek in thought. "It reminds me of a virus. Like it's infecting a functioning system, turning it against itself. Maybe the dead priests are like a virus for the barrier between earth and hell. I mean... it make sense I suppose. People who would undoubtedly go to heaven if they'd die, given they had not committed suicide, are somehow forced to go to hell. That could potentially cause quite some chaos in the system."

"And chaos in the system would translate to: the Styx bleeding through - What did you call it? - the earthly plane?"

"Precisely."

The next three hours they spent driving to the locations of all the previous priests found dead. Just as Lucifer had foreseen, each location had a crack in the earthly plane that leaked the Styx close by. Just as he had assumed before, with each dead priest, the rivulet had become longer and broader. They had arranged the security of the areas, not able to do anything else about the cracks and eventually admitted after a seemingly endless day, that they both needed to head homewards.

* * *

"Care for a drink, now that you're finally off duty?" he asked, as he strode ahead into the penthouse.

"Oh yes _please_. I think I've never needed one so desperately ever before." With everything that had been going on today, she felt her own life being completely insignificant in the grander scale. Heaven and hell were freaking real. And monsters were real and probably impatiently waiting at the threshold towards earth, wanting to slice their claws into humanity and… worse. Yes, she needed a drink, to numb herself. Something to distract her mind or to pull her attention towards another direction.

He snorted out a laugh. "Welcome to my bloody life." He reached over his bar, grabbed two glasses and poured one up the brim, the other two fingers. Handing her the smaller glass, he clinked glasses with her and started downing his drink, draining it of half its contents with two gulps.

Chloe just smiled quietly at his storminess and sipped at her drink, while moving out onto his balcony. The air had cooled down noticeably during the past two weeks in which her life, no, her _world_ , had so drastically changed. She smelled the air that carried a faint ocean breeze over to the top of the building and felt her muscles relax as the musky scent of Lucifer's cologne mixed with it.

He had quietly stepped up behind her, stopping a few inches from her, but it was close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off him. She took a small step back and gently let her back rest against his chest. As if he had needed the quiet invitation and acceptance of his closeness, he brushed his free hand over her side, letting it caress and slip around her waist. He fondly placed his chin on her head, having her perfectly attached to him as if they were two fitting pieces of a puzzle.

Her eyes roamed over the city's skyline and her head tilted skywards. She thought back to the countless websites she had read about the Devil and wondered.

"Did you make them? I thought it was all God..."

His gaze followed hers. "He just loves getting the credit for everything. Arrogant, self-centered prick He is…." he muttered and heard her snicker at his remark. "He gave the order, yes, but _I_ was the one who created them."

"He... gave the order? What do you mean?" She frowned in irritation.

"You surely have heard the phrase before: 'Let there be light'? Well, that was not him making a statement and all of a sudden stars lit up in the sky. He gave me an order to do it, because it was part of my skill set he had created me with." He fell silent, thinking back to a time, where time wasn't even an existing concept yet.

"Wow…" _Just… wow._ "Thank you." And once again she thought a little less about God, because of some new information about Him. She wondered if this whole perfect image humans had built up about God, was even remotely true.

He tarried and blinked. It took him a moment to understand what she meant and his expression faltered into surprise and modesty. "I…. You're welcome…?" He remembered she had also thanked him for sculpting earth's surface. Just like back then, nobody had ever given him any form of credit for that. He simply had obeyed to his Father's will, because… well, there simply had been no free will to demand otherwise. It was an odd, but appreciated gesture, that gave him a warm feeling in his chest. _Very_ much appreciated. He remembered a feeling he had when he had executed his Father's orders… Pride. A sin. He had been told to stay humble, and over the years he had forgotten about it. Or perhaps not forgotten, but he had rather pushed it into a very dark corner of his mind, filled with unpleasant memories. And now… now that Chloe was acknowledging his work, he felt it again. Pride.

A fresh breeze brushed against them, sending goosebumps over Chloe's skin. She emptied her glass, savoring the exquisite taste that burned along her throat in a pleasant way and turned around in his hold. Quietly she pressed herself against his chest, feeling the tension of the day slowly release with each breath she took and each strong heartbeat she heard in her partners thorax.

"We can stop this, right?" she whispered. When she didn't hear a straight response, she looked up at him, noticing his hesitation. "Lucifer?" And the tension crept straight back into her muscles. "Tell me, that we can."

The seconds seemed to stretch on for a lifetime. "I won't lie to you, Chloe. I don't know if we can." Seeing her eyes water, broke his heart. "But it would be quite a strange end for my Dad's little humanity project and I don't think it's time for another flood, no pun intended." He sighed and raised his hand to tenderly cup her cheek. "Look. I don't know how we can stop this yet, but I'll do everything in my power to find a way. _That,_ I can promise you."

She looked at him, drowning in his deep dark hazel eyes, and could tell he would indeed do everything that he could. "Okay." she said with a quiet voice. "Me too."

Lucifer tenderly planted a kiss to her forehead and she willingly snuggled back against him once more. "Do you have your spawn at home for tonight?"

"Yeah. Maze wanted to spend as much time possible with her today, so they're probably doing ninja training at home." she laughed. "Oh that reminds me. Trixie asked if you'd be up for breakfast sometime."

He felt a soft tugging in his chest. _Strange…_ "Am I to assume she'd be delighted if I am the one to make breakfast instead of her chewing on those disgusting corn sugar loops?" He raised an eyebrow, shivering at the thought of the horrible nutrition the child so often shoveled into her mouth.

"You'd be correct with that assumption," she chimed cheekily.

He let out a soft laugh and nodded. "I'd love to." His heart swelled with warmth and some sort of rush at the thought of seeing them both soon and spending time with them. _And there is that tugging again…._

Her brows arched in surprise, but a smile was spreading on her lips. "Really?"

"Absolutely. I can stop by tomorrow morning, if you would like me to."

Biting her lower lip she hesitated a moment, before she boldly added, "Or maybe we could prepone it and make it dinner."

He blinked and looked at her in surprise. _Bloody hell it feels like my heart's beating out of through my throat…. Could that actually happen?! Who knows what this bloody mortality might do to me!_ "I… erm…" His throat tightened and he couldn't speak.

She smiled at his hesitation and insecurity. Then she pulled away a bit, took his free hand into hers and indicated for him to go inside. Still speechless he downed the rest of his glass as they walked back inside and put it down on his coffee table. As she continued to hold and tug at his hand, he followed her back to his elevator, not complaining or refusing, but relishing in the feel of belonging she awoke inside of him. And not just belonging but something... more, stronger. A feeling of... _home_.

* * *

It didn't take a second once Chloe had pushed open the door and Trixie's excited scream rang through the house. Her eyes sparkled with happiness when her gaze moved from her mother to Lucifer.

"Lucifeeeer!"

There simply was no escape for the Devil, as Chloe was blocking the exit behind him. When the young girls' arms eagerly slung around his legs, Lucifer's body seemed to freeze on the spot, except for his hands, which he withdrew as far away from the little creature as possible, as if a touch to her would infect him with a virus specifically made for the archangel. "Haaa… hello... spawn…. " he muttered and grimaced as he lowered a hand to awkwardly pet her head as if she were a very disgusting smelling dog that you merely pet to not look too much like a jerk in front of other people. Little did he know how much more of an idiot it made him look like. "Have we not talked about the clinginess before?" He glowered at her with a sigh. " _Must_ you…?"

"But I really, really, _really_ missed you! And I like showing it to you, silly! Just be glad I'm not shooting you like mom did." She snickered and eventually had mercy on Lucifer.

His expression faltered to surprise and confusion at her words, while Chloe face-palmed. "I beg your pardon? What is that supposed to mean?" His look shifted between Chloe and her daughter.

Trixie stepped back and grinned. "I could let you know, if the payment is right."

His eyes widened. "Unbelievable!" he scoffed and looked at her mother, while Trixie rushed upstairs. "You should teach her some manners, you know!"

Chloe gaped at him and let out a half humorous, half offended laugh. "Oh, _really_?" _Lucifer doesn't have an ounce of self reflection on how he influences my child, does he?_ She dropped the argument before it could even get started, went towards the kitchen and saw Maze sitting on the ground, hands bound together with cord.

"Maze!" Lucifer purred with delight. "I see you get along just fine with Chloe's little demon. Soul sisters, perhaps? Is she torturing Hell's greatest torturer?" he mused teasingly as he pointed at her cuffed hands. His comment however earned him a firm elbow into his ribs from Chloe. "Ouch!"

Chloe rolled her eyes at his childish behavior and crossed her arms. "Maze, what the heck is going on?"

The demon rolled her eyes. "I taught the kid some sneaky moves today and then she wanted to know how to properly cuff up a bad guy once she won the fight. So I showed her a couple of hand and leg cuff tricks." She stood up and, without much fanfare, tore apart the binding. "Any news on the priest case?"

"Looks like someone created a shift in the planes and makes the Styx bleed through to earth, causing the death to every living being that touches the humanly invisible rivulets." Lucifer summed up for Maze who stared at him in shock. "Yeah, my reaction exactly." he continued leisurely and strode over to Chloe's cabinet, pouring himself a glass of bourbon he had stashed away for moments like this.

"If the Styx bleeds through, that could mean all kinds of creatures from hell might be able to cross planes." the demon said, more to Chloe than Lucifer.

With an exhausted sigh, Chloe put down her jacket. "I need food, Maze. I want to tackle this with you all but… I'm just a human and I need sleep, food, and coffee to function properly. Let's attack the whole world-saving thing tomorrow, okay?"

"How about you take a look around, Mazikeen? We taped off the locations where the priests have been found, as the Styx seems to breach through at those points. Could you do some hunting tonight and see if anything is coming through?" Lucifer asked before taking a sip of his glass.

"Will do." She nodded, but then threw him a questioning look. "If I encounter something from hell, then…?"

"You send it _back_." he answered coldly, his eyes darkening. It was clear to all of them what he meant.

"Got it. I'll keep you posted." She was about to leave when she turned to the Devil with a mischievous grin. "Oh and... the kid's got a present for you. Don't you _dare_ make her cry by saying something stupid about it, Lucifer, or I make sure to cut your jewels."

Her sudden glare was terrifying even for the Devil. At least he knew better than to make a shrewd comment on it, for the simple fact that he was very fond of his balls. "A-alright." It sounded almost like a question. He forced a grin at Maze who then called her goodbye to Trixie and left. "Feisty demon…" he exhaled with a shake of his head.

Chloe snickered, pouring herself a glass of wine. "You should have taught her some manners, you know?" she teased back.

"Touché!" Lucifer laughed and downed the rest of his bourbon.

"Lucifer?" Trixie called from upstairs.

He sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "Yes, child?"

"Can you please come up to my room?"

When Lucifer hesitated and seemed to have a mental debate, Chloe smiled inwardly. "Lucifer, she just wants to give you a present."

He looked at her. "Yes, so I was told… But given her eating habits, I'm worried about whether it has to do with sticky hands and if it could ruin my suit."

"Don't act like you would care _that_ much about your suit. You like her more." She smiled warmly at him, knowing very well how much her daughter had already captured the Devil's heart without him realizing it. "Just go to her already."

He narrowed his eyes muttering "Hmph… fine." and then called upwards "On my way, hellspawn!" _Bloody hell, what am I getting myself into?_ He climbed the stairs quietly, and by some miracle Chloe couldn't understand he wasn't even making one squeaking sound with his shoes. Carefully he knocked on Trixie's door that was standing slightly ajar.

"Hey Lucifer, come on in."

Taking one last deep breath to brace himself for facing the most wicked and defiant of creatures walking earth, he slowly stepped inside. "So child… what… is it that you want?" _Because children always wanted something, right?_ His eyes scanned her room, noticing all kinds of small toys lying around. It would be hard to maneuver around without hitting other interior with his large frame, which is why he decided to just make one step further, so he was at least standing fully in the room.

Trixie excitedly roamed through a pile of paper rolls on her little desk and cheered a satisfied "Ha!" as she found what she was looking for. She turned and stepped up towards him. "Here, I made it just for you." she chimed and handed him a paper roll.

Unsure as to what to do exactly, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Th-thank you?"

"You've gotta open it, duh!"

He gave her a calculating look. How far had he fallen that a child was talking in such way to the Devil, the Lord of Hell, and he would actually feel obliged to be okay with it? He sighed again and took a closer look at the roll. It was wrapped with a dark red ribbon which had a little piece of cardboard attached to the end of it. At further inspecting it, he saw it was cut out in the shape of a heart with his name written on it. His chest tightened and when a lump formed in his throat he coughed lightly, pulling off the ribbon to open the roll. Spreading open the sheet he swallowed at the sight in front of him. "This… I…" he stammered, his brows frowning in thought. Nervously he moisturized his lips, looking at the child in wonder. "I'm not sure I understand." he said, his voice careful and innocent.

Trixie pursed her lips at him. "You said you're the Devil and that you have your angel wings back." She pointed at the two small horns and big gray-white wings on the drawing.

He sighed. _By Dad,_ _why must everyone assume I have horns?!_ "Yes… I get that, child. But why did you pick this _motive_?" he went on, motioning at the tree and all kinds of decorations.

Her big brown eyes looked at her small hands, insecure and hesitant. "Because… it would be really nice to have you over for Christmas…"

And then her almond shaped eyes looked up at him. As he caught the look on her face he felt a tug in his chest. _What on earth is this_ _hellspawn_ _doing to me? She must have some sort of bewitching, manipulative skill. If she looks at me with this impossibly innocent and pleading look, she might as well ask me, if I play horse with her, with her riding on my back all day long and I'm deadly convinced I'd say 'yes'!_

"So…" his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is this a hidden request?"

She quietly nodded at him.

He pensively ran his tongue at the inside of his front teeth. "I… I don't really like Christmas though…" he said calculatingly and trying not to sound reneging too much.

"But Christmas is not about the day. And also not just about the presents." she explained with an adult seriousness in her high pitched voice. "You spend it with the people you _love_."

"Oh… so you want me to spend Christmas with the people you love?" he tried to piece together with a frown appearing on his forehead.

Her eyes rolled much like her mother's and then she put her tiny hands on her hips. "No, silly! You _are_ one of those people!"

Time seemed to freeze. Or at least it felt like that as everything around him was beginning to blur and the sounds were starting to become muffled and dull, as if someone was talking through a pillow. The ache in his chest became more painful, piercing and pinching, knocking the oxygen out of his lungs and tightening his throat. His lips ran dry while his eyes blinked. Something wet hit his hand that still held onto the drawing. _Did she just say…? But that's…. She can't…. Can she?_ He blinked again, noticing Trixie's' expression having shifted from happiness towards worry so he quickly wiped the back of his free hand over his cheek, composing himself again as best as possible. _Yes, she must be some sort of a little witch…_ With two hard swallows, Lucifer finally managed to get the aching out of his throat and was able to attempt to speak again.

"Would…- _This_ would make you happy?" he asked, slightly shaking the drawing. He saw Trixie nodded once again and… _Damn those pleading puppy eyes!_ He sighed in defeat. "Very well."

Her eyes became even wider with excitement bursting out of her. "Really!?" She didn't even wait for more reassurance, but instead her eyes seemed to bore into his with determination. "Promise!"

 _Oh for crying out loud! How is she finding my buttons?! Well, she is the daughter of the Detective. Waggish, sly little fox!_ He ground his teeth for a moment, debating. "Only if you keep your hands clean before you come performing your vicious hugs on me from now on." He thought a moment longer on the possibility to lay out the conditions and added with a slight smirk, "And I do get to be the top hat." With that he extended his hand in a genteel manner. The sparkle in Trixie's eyes reminded him of his stars and with a wide grin and light giggle she shook his hand.

"Deal!" she exclaimed happily.

He nodded firmly, folded the paper twice and placed it in his jacket for safekeeping. No need to make it easy for Chloe to use her detecting skills. "Deal."

As he was just about to head to the door and escape from the lions den, Trixie ran after him and grasped his hand, tugging to make him turn to her.

"What is it now, child?" Lucifer muttered. Why had he thought this little hellraiser would make it easy for him by letting him leave after just a few minutes? The little girl bit her lip, turning her eyes to the ground. _Bloody hell, what was it with humans!? Can't they just say what they want? I mean,_ I _do it. So it really can't be_ that _hard!_ He watched as her small frame trembled lightly and a soft sniff alerted him of one of his greatest fears. Oh no. _No no no, she isn't crying, is she?_ Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he nervously looked around in her room, wondering if he could perhaps give her a toy to soothe her. _She likes that crazy wonder woman doll, right?_ As he was about to move around her to search for just _something_ to give her, she darted forward and attached herself to Lucifer's legs. "Ahh… w-what…" Uncomfortable and not sure what to do, Lucifer's hands once more had risen up, not touching her as if she could snap at his fingers if he came too close to her. "Child?" he carefully asked in a confused tone. "W-would you… like to renegotiate?" _Is this what she is unhappy about? I certainly had people who wished, begged, for their deal to be adjusted, so..._

Trixie nuzzled her cheek against his legs and quietly sniffed again before she eventually looked back up at him with big, watery eyes. "You'll protect her, right? You will always protect her?"

 _That_ hit him rather unexpectedly and harder than he could have ever imagined. Of course he knew immediately that she meant Chloe, and he couldn't help but feel moved by the fact of how much fear for her mother's wellbeing and love towards her she showed. And she wanted for him to protect Chloe, knowing how much she meant to him. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

Slowly he took her small hands in his and crouched down to meet her at eye level. "Listen to me carefully, Beatrice." He spoke gently and noticed a wave of surprise wash over her when she heard him use her birth name for the very first time. "I will stop at _nothing_ , to keep you and your mother safe. And if anybody ever hurts you or her, they will have to deal with a very, very angry Devil. You have my word."

She sniffed and brushed some tears away as she frowned at him, worriedly. "But… who's going to protect _you_?"

Seeing her eyes shed tears, he softly sighed and pulled her against him into a warm, protective embrace. The pain in his chest was excruciating. _Well, who does protect me?_ "I'm going to be just fine, child. Remember, I'm the Devil. I'm pretty much invincible." he spoke with a light, soothing tone, caressing over her small back.

Trixie nodded against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against him for a long moment before pulling away. She wiped her eyes again and planted a light kiss to his cheek, before he stood up to his full height again. "Thank you, Lucifer."

"You're welcome." He tugged at his shirts' sleeves and composed himself, masking the vulnerability of himself with a big smirk. "Now - I was told that you would like to indulge your taste in my divine cooking skills?"

"Mhm, yeah!" And her eyes sparkled again as she grinned at him, all the gloomy mood gone and off her mind.

"Alright, little whippersnapper… I'll get right to it then. Remember to clean your hands before and after the meal though. I recall you made _that_ deal with your mother."

* * *

 **As always I am more than happy to hear your thoughts and feedback! Love you lots! Thanks for all the support and for tagging along my little story and for sticking with me on this amazing journey as I am so very much reveling in the joy of writing something like this for the first time of my life. It's a bliss!**

 **Be prepared for Tuesday, because, by Dear Old Dad, I promise to raise the temperature of you all :D**


	12. Seven Devils

Seven Devils

 **Chapter Title/Song by Florence and The Machine**

 **Hello again my fellow readers! I am completely blown away from the fact that so many of you are reading this story! WOW. You have no idea how happy you make me :) Thank you all for your reads, comments and thoughts! It's wonderful and inspires and spurs me on with even more motivation and a bigger smile on my face as I write :) As I said, this chapter -hopefully- will raise your temperatures. (Reminder: This is rated M)**

* * *

Gluttony was one of his most beloved sins he liked to indulge in and apparently Chloe and her daughter felt just about the same. He had prepared a nourishing and filling three-course dinner, although he had to be quite creative with the appetizer and dessert, since Chloe's fridge wasn't particularly filled with the ingredients he was used to from his penthouse's stock. As they had finished the meal and Lucifer was elected as the week's best cook from Trixie, the little girl had somehow managed to talk the Devil into fulfilling her yet another wish before she eventually was brought to bed from her mother.

Leaning at the counter, Chloe's eyes sparkled as she looked at him baffled. "I can't believe you managed to get through this. That you really _did_ it. I mean… she sang three full songs with you. _Disney_ songs..."

Lucifer sighed. _How much of my dignity have I thrown overboard for that little rascal?_ "Well… I'm aware. I was present… most of the time, anyway. I guess perhaps my brain somewhat unplugged every now and then."

"That's alright. I'm just glad you survived." She hid her smirk as she raised her glass to her lips and sipped at the red wine.

"Oh so am I." he agreed and stepped closer to her, invading her private space. "But I'm also happy your little rascal is fast asleep now. That gives us time to finally take care of each other..." His voice became a deep purr and temptation was radiating off him intensely, setting fire to Chloe's inner desires. He could see her shiver and heard her pulse speed up. Of course he knew his effects on her. He counted on them, although he was aware they worked somewhat differently on her than on other humans. She was more… surprising. Her reactions weren't always how he expected them to be and that was very exciting and enticing for him, in return. Swiftly he took hold of her glass and placed it on her coffee table.

Chloe nervously bit her lip, feeling how her body subconsciously leaned in towards Lucifer. She looked up at him, her long lashes fluttering as her heart hammered madly in her chest. They looked at each other for an endless moment. There was a lot they both could say to each other. A lot of things that had happened that could be talked about, but it simply didn't feel like the way to go about it. Both of them wanted to express more than words possibly could.

His eyes stayed locked with hers when he placed his hands to her hips and began to slowly walk her backwards until she rested against the wall of the living room. Only when he had locked her against the wall with his tall frame, did his eyes start to roam over her features. She observed him as his eyes unabashedly hungry took in her beauty, his desire for her openly displayed. Chloe felt the heat in her body rising. Days had gone by without them having had any chance to spend intimate time with each other. It had been long days of work that had them strained, both mentally and physically, not really letting them deal with their private life.

Too fast for her to actually comprehend, Lucifer's head had suddenly lowered to her head's left side. His lips brushed over her ear, breathing hotly against it. She immediately felt on fire. Needily, her hands slipped around his chest, brushed up over his shoulders and further up to bury themselves in his hair. As if he had heard her body's silent scream for closeness, he used his position to press his lower body against hers. He was rock hard and wanted for her to know what she was doing to him.

His left hand smoothly slid under her shirt, brushing his fingertips lightly over her lower stomach and along the waistband of her jeans, while his right trailed down her hip. With a swift movement he had pulled up her thigh and ground further into her.

She was intoxicated. He was all over her and it was hard to not give in to the white noise of her brain and simply give in to her desires. His movements were igniting her like a furnace and the way he was leading the encounter was even more thrilling. Her mind shouted at her that she needed control and it began to ruin her mood. Unable to push away her thoughts, she worried about all the tension of the day with so much celestial stuff going on, about Trixie walking in on them, about her dignity slipping away as she was about to have sex in her living room and that Lucifer was certainly very skilled when it came to the topic of 'doing the nasty', while she absolutely wasn't. But there was this carnal desire building up in her, screaming and yearning. Images flashed up in her mind, making her blush.

"What is it, darling?" his husky voice purred lowly against her ear, noticing her reluctance, and kissed her temple.

Her eyes squeezed shut in frustration. "I'm sorry… I… I can't…"

Pulling slightly away from her, he looked back at her. Although he was in a sweet delirium, his eyes looked worried. "Why not? What's troubling you that I cannot push aside with my body praising yours?"

She sighed. "What if Trixie hears-"

"We simply stay as quiet as possible, love." When she still looked hesitant, he gently lifted his weight from her and made a step back. "That's not what really worries you though, is it?"

Chloe felt herself close up more and more, even though she was desperate to tell. Something inside her was making it impossible to talk and she felt strangely ashamed. _Have I always been like this? Was I always this… prudish?_

Lucifer lifted his hand and gently caressed over her cheek. "Darling? I can hear your heartbeat thundering in your chest. I can smell your tantalizing arousal. I'm not blind, I can see and feel how your body reacts to me. I am aware of _how much_ you crave me." He spoke softly and offered a warm smile. "Why are you holding yourself back? Why forbid yourself the pleasure?"

 _Fuck._ Her eyes watered and she started to tremble. _Fuckingy fuckity fuck!_ She quickly slung her arms around herself in a desperate attempt to hold herself together, to not have her damn shaking hands. She wanted to crawl into a ditch and disappear.

"Chloe, look at me. Why are you like this all of a sudden? You have been quite adventurous back at my place. What's so different now? I mean… we have had sex before, so it's not a new thing-" he broke off when her eyes blinked away a wave of tears and her look averted to the ground. "Oh." he breathed quietly as he realized. "You… want something to change." When he noticed her shiver in response, he knew he was right. "Well, lucky you, I don't mind trying out new things at all." He offered her a little smirk to lighten the mood. "Tell me what you want, darling. I will do whatever makes you happy. Remember my words? I want you to let me love you. That also includes to please you in every way you desire."

She carefully, slowly, looked up at him. She had imagined him to laugh at her insecurity, of him downplaying her worries because there wasn't anyone on this planet that could be in contest with his experiences in the realms of sex, pleasure and desire. But he didn't do any of it. In fact, he reminded her of a vow that they had given each other and empathized how true he stood to his words.

"So, Detective Chloe Jane Decker." he lightly mused as he saw that she was starting to open up again to him. "What exactly do you desire? Something from me? Or would you like to do something specific?" He teasingly and daringly rose his brows in a funny manner. "An Eiffel Tower, perhaps?"

And _that_ broke the ice. A small laugh rumbled through her chest, becoming harder and slightly out of control, so that happy tears stung in her eyes. She smiled, the tension rapidly slipping away. He won. "You're good." she admitted. "Really good…"

"The best." He grinned triumphantly. "Now, be a good Detective and whisper your naughty little desires in ol' Lucifer's ear. We don't want your daughter to accidentally pick anything up, do we?" Amused he leaned back against her and lowered his ear to her lips.

She whispered, because she couldn't find the strength to even raise her voice to a normal conversation level.

He smirked. "Oooh… okay, yes of course I can do that, darling. - Yes, mmmm… I hadn't imagined you'd like that… Very well. - Oh, there's more? - Mhmm…" And then he pulled away, looking at her shocked. "You want _what_!?" He frowned and Chloe's newly gained esteem faltered once again.

"Please…?" She blinked nervously, biting her lower lip.

"But… why would you…? I mean… Are you not afraid I might hurt you?" He certainly hadn't expected that sort of desire from her. But then again, she always found new ways to surprise him, didn't she?

Blushing even darker than she had already, Chloe shook her head. "I trust you. And I want you, Lucifer."

He shook his head. "But-"

" _All_ of you." she cut in and gently caressed over his stubble cheek. "I don't want you to hold yourself back for me. I know there are more sides to you and I want to experience all of them. They're all you."

Nobody had ever asked this of him. Nobody had _dared_ to and certainly nobody would even have stayed _sane_ if he would have ever really done it. He swallowed, visibly pondering over her request. Yes he was mortal around her, but that didn't diminish his strength in any way. It did therefore call for his control. Which, as part of her request, she wanted for him to let go. _For her_. She wanted for him to not hold himself back, meaning she wanted to have him revel in whatever desire _he_ had. She wanted for him to take what he wanted. And that was obviously her. She wanted Lucifer the way he was and Lucifer Morningstar had lots of facets. He knew that. She knew that. And still, or perhaps because of that, she wanted this.

His eyes looked deeply into hers, gauging. She seemed shy, but not unsure or reluctant about her desire. Just heartbreakingly shy. And with her staying shy as well as having this mood, it would be hard to get things going the way she wanted, so he quickly thought of a tactic. "Alright." he said quietly, nodding slowly.

"Alright?" she asked slightly surprised and a bit sceptically, her lips curling up into a small smile.

"Yes. But I need you to do something as well for this to work."

Chloe hesitated a moment, licking her lips. "O-okay, what?"

He closed the gap between them once more and used his frame to lightly press her against the wall again. A mischievous and astute smile tugged at his lips. Teasingly he ran a finger along the side of her neck. "You'll have to push my buttons…" he breathed lowly, looking down at her with a predatory look in his eyes.

 _How the hell does he expect me to- Oh…_ Her mind ran a thousand miles per hour, thinking back to all the moments she had seen him having difficulty to control himself on a sexual level. _He… wants me to tease him,_ she realized. Playing with fire. And in this case, playing with the Devil himself. _I think I can do that…_ She slowly licked her lips once again. After a couple of breaths, her expression changed to something more wanton and sensual as she looked up at him from under her long lashes.

"Yesss… like _that_." he purred in approval, his breathing quickening. _Dear Dad, she has no idea how bloody attractive she is, and even more so when she is adding just a tiny bit of effort..._

She saw his eyes fixating on her lips and his jaw tensing up. He was resisting the impulse to kiss her. _I see…_ She raised her hands to the top button of her blouse, watching Lucifer's eyes follow her movement intently. At the last moment she moved her hands down to the lowest button.

His eyes twitched.

Her delicate fingers opened the first button with a flick rather quickly, but moved slightly slower when she continued with the next one. She was putting him into a painfully sweet waiting line. As she opened the third button from below, she revealed the first bits of smooth skin of her belly.

His Adam's apple moved up and down from a quiet gulp.

Chloe's eyes stayed fixed on his, watching his every reaction. Another and another button sprung open, this time having arrived at the height of her breasts, revealing a red laced bra with black floral ornaments interlaced in between.

A low, hushed sound, that faintly reminded her of a moan, came over Lucifer's lips, his nostrils twitching with every heavy breath he took. His hands rose up, starting to brush upwards along her exposed waist. It seemed like a smooth movement, as Lucifer had done this countless times, but Chloe's observant eyes noticed that his fingers were trembling the tiniest bit. Another sound built up inside his chest, this time a soft approving purr, whilst his fingertips brushed playfully over her flanks. He shifted his body and leaned further in towards her. His body was tensed much like his bulge Chloe felt hardening by the second when he pressed against her lower stomach.

She opened the last top button and with a swift gesture, shrugged the blouse over her shoulders, letting the fabric sink to the floor. The golden bullet necklace dangled from her neck and came to a rest right in between her collarbones. Again Lucifer's eyes twitched as he caught the movement. They seemed to darken with a thought that crossed his mind, but she wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps he was aroused to see the necklace on her in general now? Or perhaps it awoke the memory of him _actually_ penetrating her...

Intentionally nibbling on her lower lip, Chloe ran her hands over his vest. The fabric felt impossibly soft, but she was more interested and hungry to feel what laid beneath his expensive clothing. As she began to fumble open the buttons, Lucifer moved his own hands to assist her, but she just shook her head at him. She wanted and needed her time. Needed to guide this experience up to the point where she wanted to let herself fall. And that moment hadn't arrived yet. The vest soon slid off over his shoulders and was shortly followed by his white dress shirt. His chest bare at display for her, she ran her fingers over his torso, down over his abs before grazing along the waistband of his pants.

A deep guttural growl erupted suddenly from Lucifer's throat. There simply was not enough space in his pants, turning the slow teasing from Chloe into a bittersweet agony. His hands clenched to fits at his sides while his breathing became more and more ragged. He felt like a compound bow on full stretch tension, desperately waiting to be released. He leaned into her touch frantically, silently begging her to help him and bring him out of the misery of his too-tight pants.

She waited a few moments longer, her body heating up at the sound of his growl. It was doing things to her… She knew that he would notice. That made it even more enticing. Eventually she had mercy on him. Her fingers worked open his belt, button and fly, making his pants glide down on their own.

His eyes fluttered close and he let out a whimpering moan. He rose his hands and put them next to her head against the wall, grinding his pelvis forward, yearning for her hand to touch him. "Mmm… Chloeee…" he moaned lowly, his body now clearly trembling from the tension of self control he put himself in. Dipping his head down forward he lowered to her ear, when he felt her starting to caress over his throbbing bulge.

His heated breath against her ear caused her to quietly moan in return and her skin instantly got goosebumps all over. She rubbed slightly harder over him and was rewarded with yet another sound of pleasure from him, vibrating against her ear. Reluctantly she pulled her hand back, causing him to sigh at the loss, but his expression was quickly exchanged with a hungry and anticipating look when he saw that she undid her skinny jeans. His lips slightly curled back as his eyes traveled down her body, watching greedily as she slipped out of her jeans, revealing a fitting pair of brazilian cut panties. Another, more raw, and louder growl erupted from Lucifer's chest. His breathing was heavily laboured and flat. This was torture. Sweet, evil torture. Pensively he licked his lips and looked back into her eyes. He was waiting. Impatiently so, but he was.

Chloe took her time, relishing in the looks of Lucifer turning into a hungry beast. She watched him as his eyes flickered over her slender figure. Reaching forward, but not breaking eye contact, she slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his boxers, brushing them down his legs. As the cool air suddenly brushed over his exposed cock, he twitched and hardened even further if possible. She curled a finger at him, luring him to lean in again, this time caressing her lips over his ear. "Take off the rest…" she whispered and placed a light kiss to his cheek before pulling away to look at him again.

His brows narrowed into a lust-filled glare, silently warning her of what would be the inevitable outcome. But this was what she wanted, he reminded himself. And she presented herself to him like a christmas present, telling him to unwrap her. All his self control had worn out, keeping him from opening his present slowly, so…. With a swift move he slipped one hand to her back, opening her bra with ease, before his other took a hold of the front of the delicate fabric, pulling it off her with a hiss.

She yelped with surprise and a new wave of arousal rushed through her cells at his eager movement. "Show me…" Chloe mouthed. There was a short moment of hesitation visible in his eyes, the way they shifted slightly as he looked at her. Doubt. But as she gave him a small nod, he exhaled and gave in. He closed his eyes briefly, only to re-open them with his irises being ablaze with hellfire gazing back at her.

Gauging her reaction he could see she was surprised, but not afraid from his eyes. Quite the contrary. Her eyes seemed to drown in his with fascination and the way her cheeks turned a darker shade of red, with her lips slightly parted, her quickly heaving chest…. She was in fact… _turned on_ by his hellfire eyes. With a low roar he pressed forward, crushed his lips against hers with force and claimed her mouth regardless of appearances. He wanted to taste her, battle her tongue with his, make her succumb to and get lost with him. The lingering taste of their alcoholic beverages mixed up as Lucifer skillfully battled for dominance with her. She moaned, louder than she wanted, but he made sure to muffle her sounds, sealing her lips with his. His hands firmly brushed down her hips and within the blink of an eye, her panties were off, finally leaving them both stark naked.

He bit and sucked at her lips, turning them red and swollen from his hunger for her, unable to get enough. Grinding against her stomach, he let her feel the hardness of him. She whimpered against his lips and her dilated eyes looked up at him with a begging plea. She had handed over the scepter of control to him and now she felt ready to fall.

"Say it…" he spoke deeply with a voice hoarse from desire.

Her heart hammered against her chest bone and she felt ready to collapse, but the arousal, excitement and need for him kept her upright. "Fuck me." Chloe breathed quietly, but still loud enough for it to be audible and he _certainly_ heard it, because right afterwards everything seemed to happen at once.

Lucifer's hands immediately slipped down to her ass and thighs, picking her up effortlessly. Chloe slung her arms around his neck and locked her ankles behind him, holding onto him as he forcefully pushed her back against the wall. His mouth travelled down her neck, kissing, sucking and biting her until he reached her pulse point just under her jaw. Her hands buried in Lucifer's combed hair, turning it into its original state of wild curls, and pulled him harder against her, urging his mouth to devour her as he pleased.

His mouth was wicked and gruff, much like his hands, which were gripping and digging into the skin of her ass. He ground his hips hard against her, rubbing his manhood against her wet heat. The crimson in his eyes flared up with a mind numbing, aroused rage, when he realized how she was literally dripping from her desire for him. Again he leaned to her ear, nibbling, sucking and biting at the lobe, while his hands went to grab her wrists, roughly pinning them against the wall above her head. "You want the Devil to fuck you…" he lowly growled into her ear. "Then let's see if you can handle him."

With a quick snap of his hips, he thrusted his massive cock inside her hot, dripping and unprepared tightness. His one hand moved to cover her mouth, keeping her cry as quiet as possible. Her sight was abruptly becoming blurry and white dots appeared in her vision as the first surprising pain quickly transformed into a fulfilling wave of pleasure. He looked at her, wanting to see her expression as he started to move, roughly, hard and fast. She was tight, not just because she wasn't prepared, but also because he was quite well equipped. Calling him 'above average' was a major understatement. He was a freaking archangel. A son of God. Of course he was endowed to perfection.

Chloe's heart was thundering in her chest. The feeling of him finally filling her was a bliss she couldn't describe with anything else than _completion_. The sounds coming from her lips were whispering, trembling, but also begging for more. Desperately her wrists wiggled, but the grip he had on her with just one of his hands was iron. She couldn't escape. Not that she wanted to. But she wanted to feel his skin, grip his hair, dig her nails into his flesh as he was taking her. And he didn't grant her that wish just yet.

While Lucifer made sure to keep Chloe's mouth from accidentally crying out loud in delight, he increased the force of his thrusts, angling himself to hit her just the right way. From the way her eyes rolled back into her head and her muscles tensed and quivered around him, he knew she was starting to lose her mind, which was exactly what he wanted. His growls lowly added to the slick slapping sounds their bodies created. Dipping down he caught her left nipple with his teeth and applied just enough force to draw out yet another cry from her. His cock pulsed heavily inside her. He was able to come soon, surely, but throughout his existence he had acquired enough skill to drag on his release until he wanted to come. His willpower was without equal.

A sinister grin slipped onto his lips as his tongue danced over her breast. She was getting closer. He could hear it. Feel it. Smell it, even. She whimpered his name in a quiet cry, arching her body against his as this was the only thing he left her able to do. The intensity of the pressure building inside her, brought tears to her eyes. She was desperate to fall over the edge and he gave her what she was craving. Removing his hand from her mouth, he claimed her lips again with his own, while brushing the now free hand to cup her breasts and play with her erect nipples. He leaned his forehead against hers, their heavy breaths mixing, and gazed at her with his hellfire eyes. "Come for me…" he panted, grinding harder against her inner sensitive spot.

As if she had needed exactly this from him, her body began to tremble uncontrollably and her swollen, slick walls heavily convulsed on his cock, which didn't slow down its pounding treatment. She cried and groaned into his lips, somewhere in the back of her cottoned mind thankful for Lucifer's mouth muffling her once again as she came hard. He growled brutishly when he felt her muscles contract around his shaft, like they were screaming at him for more and pulling him in even deeper.

He let go of her wrists finally, carrying her over towards her couch where he slid her off him. Chloe felt her knees turning to jelly and Lucifer quickly grabbed a hold of her waist, pushing her against the back of the couch, making her bend over. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she had no time to react. With one hand he gripped onto her hip while the other ran up her back until he roughly gripped her hair. He thrusted into her from behind with a forceful blow, not giving her any room to move on her own. Leaning over her, he lowly spoke, "Stay quiet, Detective." A reminder. But it was also a display of his power he held over her right now. He was rough, merciless, wild, and emotionally detached -or so it seemed-, but she wanted him just like that. And he indulged in it.

The new angle he hit her in, surged different new waves of electricity through her. Desperately she reached to the front, grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it, groaning and panting heavily. A slick film of sweat covered them both by now. Lucifer let go of her hair so she could at least have control over her head and ran his fingertips over the length of her back, down to her ass. She yelped as he gave her a sharp slap. "I will fuck you and I won't stop until I'm satisfied…" he purred against her ear before leaning into her neck, biting and sucking on her sensitive flesh. He wanted her to know, she had nowhere to run and that the request for the Devil to take her was not completed with one orgasm. Not at all.

He gripped onto her hips and clawed at her ass as he took her with forceful, deep thrusts. Of course Lucifer had fucked countless women before her, but somehow not only making love to Chloe felt different, but even fucking her in a wild and animalistic way was not comparable to anything else he had ever experienced. The hellfire in his eyes stayed wide awake and he could feel a tingling sensation beneath his skin, telling him that his Devil appearance was just barely held back from the surface. _How is she doing that?!_ His mind was silently roaring with a longing heat - It was certainly not an unpleasant feeling she caused inside of him. He wanted to _give_ her everything. Wanted to _be_ everything. Show her everything that was _him_.

He let out a deep, thundering growl and without any warning, pulled out of her. He needed her. More. Wanted more. Give her more. Take her more. Devour her. Fuck her senseless, so that there was only _them_ left in existence.

Snarling, he took the pillow she had gripped and tossed it aside, roughly turning her towards him again. She yelped and groaned at the sudden loss of the feeling of him, her mind in a confused but happy daze. Her glassy eyes needed a moment to focus back into his stare, taking in the sight of him. He was trembling, panting, and huffing, like a beast ready to attack. His whole body was tense, every fibre, every muscle bulging. He looked like he was about to consume her. The shimmering in his eyes flared up in an even brighter, more saturated color and a shiver of arousal washed through her. His eyes twitched as he took notice.

He made a step towards her and picked her up, her weight not being anything he felt ever getting exhausted to carry. As her hands slung around his neck and she was leaning in to kiss him, he tilted his head back a second, wanting to continuously see her expression as he buckled his hips and thrusted back inside her wetness, that felt like an addictive sanctuary.

He gazed at her, savoring her cries and moans, the way she trembled in his hold, the feel of her swollen folds inviting him deeper, the very distinctive scent of her that was driving him crazy, and the depth of her eyes as she continued to look back at him while he fucked her. She held his gaze, getting lost in the hellfire, and he could see that she wanted more. _So it is mutual_ , he thought, and while his one arm stayed slung around her waist to hold her, his other buried once more in her blonde hair. He focused on his Devil appearance, focused on the leash he had put onto it. Briefly his eyes twitched again, flickering over her features in a last moment of hesitation. But Chloe picked up on it, noticing.

"Show me…" she almost wined in a plea. "Let go…"

And in that instant the leash tore. His skin began to change, not slowly, but within a blink of an eye his full appearance had changed. He could hear Chloe gasp, but her expression didn't turn into shock or aversion. She just stared at him with wide and interested eyes, frank and curiously. He had frozen in his movement and merely panted, taking in her reaction. The feel of his scarred, burnt and fleshen Devil appearance against her delicate soft skin was different to his own human skin touching hers. While in general his Devil skin didn't feel painful, it felt thicker, stiffer and rougher. Having her rosy flushed body touching his now, however, felt as if she was transforming it. It became much more sensitive, and not only his skin. As all of his body had changed, so had his lower parts. Even though technically he was still endowed the same way, his cock felt much more sensitive, while at the same time harder and hotter than before.

"Fuck me, Lucifer…" Chloe breathed once more, taking him out of his moment of celestial exploration, and reached a hand forward to cup his scarred, deep red fleshen cheek. Her lips parted, letting out a soft, long moan as she intentionally clenched her walls onto his shaft a bit harder.

He returned her move with a deep growl and crushed his lips against hers. _More. Deeper. Harder. Everything…_ his mind was reeling in a frenzy of primeval desire. He thrusted his hips back and forth in a frantic pace, changing his angle of entrance every now and then. Having her chest close to his head, he used the proximity and attacked her breasts greedily, licking, biting and sucking at them, till they were both red and swollen. He wouldn't stop until he had taken her in every way imaginable.

So he made her come again, and again, and again, in various positions, until her body had no strength to hold itself up any longer, at which point Lucifer simply pressed her body flush against his in her full length, their bodies aligned and interlocked for what seemed like an endless cascade of climaxes.

He took her wild and raw, free from restrictions and worries, and send her body and mind into one delirium high after another, using his pool of eons of knowledge and experience. To Chloe it felt as if Lucifer was praising her body by going through the Devil's personal edition of the Kamasutra. His appearance changed back and forth on its own, without Lucifer having direct control over himself. Sometimes a wave of wilder desire electrified his mind and his appearance would change and he would fuck her in his Devil appearance. Then his skin would change again and the only hellish thing visible would be his crimson eyes.

Eventually Lucifer guided their bodies down to the floor. Luckily, she had a set of faux fur rugs spread over the floor, making their position much more comfortable, although Chloe was too far away in her delirium to really notice and be able to appreciate.

While Chloe's mind felt numb in a pleasant way, her body was so sensitive, she felt like Lucifer was putting her under a constant flow of lust-filled electricity, pushing her from one high to the next. It was almost addictive. Or maybe it _was_. Walking heroine, she remembered him say. Her muscles felt lax and weak, drained, almost. Almost. Lucifer knew. Because somehow he freaking knew. He rolled her onto her back and gripped her by the thighs, entering her again with a rough thrust. She had lost the strength to cry and moan out from the delirium he put her in and so she just breathed heavily, whimpering his name and words that by now made no sense.

Panting heavily, Lucifer's fingers dug into the sweet flesh at her flank and thighs, when he suddenly felt a cool shift at his side. He had trouble pulling his mind out of the intoxicating lust-bubble he was in, but managed to turn his head to take a look. He eased his movements on Chloe, momentarily irritated by a strange feeling to his side. It was almost as if something was there, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Blinking he turned back to Chloe. _She is indeed driving me crazy..._ He took hold onto her more firmly again and returned to his rough pace and brute thrusts, continuing to fuck her as they both desired it.

The hellfire in his eyes hadn't died during their intercourse. The Devil was still wide awake, but he felt getting close to a state that he hadn't been in before. Growling, he kissed her feverishly for a long moment before he trailed kisses down her neck. He supported himself with one hand on the ground when he felt the build up. The pressure was becoming painful to hold for much longer. There was this strange _need,_ though. This feeling that he wanted something specific, aside from his release. But he couldn't focus on it, couldn't _think_. He just knew he _wanted her_. "You're mine…" he growled lowly. He breathed hotly against her neck and ear, pulling her close as his cock thrusted deep into her. "Mine…" His movements became more erratic and desperate and at last he felt his body and mind explode with pleasure. He quietly cried out her name, over and over again while he came hard and deep inside her, drowning in the bliss of the feel of her around him, and him buried and pulsing deep inside of her.

His arms slung around her exhausted body, cradling her, when suddenly Lucifer's skin began to glow a soft yellowish-white. Subtle at first, but steadily increasing in intensity. He radiated light and it started to flood into Chloe, until their bodies were both swallowed in white. "Mine…" he whispered again, his breathing slowly going back to normal. The whole lower floor of her apartment seemed to be lit up from floodlights. And after five seconds it was already over again. Blinking, Lucifer carefully pulled away from Chloe and looked at her. His eyes had changed back to his dark hazel shade and were now pensively observing Chloe who was shivering beneath him.

Her eyes fluttered irritated until she seemed to be able to focus her view on him. "Wh… what happened?" she breathed in a hoarse voice.

He swallowed and hesitated. "I… I filled you with my light." This was different from anything he had ever done in his whole existence. He had never _felt_ that this was possible and that he potentially could do it. Hell, he not even knew exactly _how_ he did it, until this very moment. It just happened. It felt… _right_.

Happily exhausted, but with her mind still wrapped in cotton she carefully rose to her elbows. "An'... 't… means...?" She murmured, her voice weak and tired.

 _Yes… well, what exactly does it mean?_ Moisturizing his lips, he thought a moment, feeling the light of him deeply anchored inside of her now. It just seemed to be there. Be present. And it radiated something. _Belonging._ To _him._ "I claimed you… with my light. It doesn't do anything to you, really. It's just…" He sighed softly, looking at her vulnerably. "People will _feel_ that you belong to me."

She tried to think of it. She _really_ tried. But her brain simply couldn't grasp what this really meant. All her mind came up with was, "But isn'... your light… divinity…? You gave your divin'ty t' me?"

"It's just a small amount, darling. Don't worry." he gently said and tenderly caressed her blushed cheek.

"Oh… m'kay…" Chloe visibly relaxed and her eyes fluttered again. She was close to falling asleep from utter exhaustion.

Slowly Lucifer rose to his feet and carefully picked her up into his arms.

"No Lucif… 'f Trix… seesus… 'nd... naked…" she mumbled as she rested her head against his shoulder, starting already to drift off.

With a soft laugh at her attempts of protest, he carried her upstairs and cautiously put her to bed. Looking at her from head to toe, he ground his teeth. She'd have bruises, hickies and small bite marks all over her that would fully show the next day. During all his crazy carnal rampage on her body however, he somehow had managed to at least have them on less visible areas for the public eye. Climbing in bed next to her, he let her snuggle against him and covered them both with a thick layer of blankets.

He could feel it. That aura. _His_ aura. Radiating from _her_. And he could smell himself on her and her on him as if they had imprinted their scents onto each other. And not only that, but he felt different himself as well. It was as if she was inside of him. A part of him. Smiling at the thought, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and relaxed. He was tired, which was a rare occurrence. She had wanted a ride with the Devil and now both of them were pleasantly exhausted. Their sleep would be short, but it had been worth it. Chloe was _his_.

* * *

 **So? Did I promise too much? How's the temperature? Need a shower? You have until Friday again, before I release the next Chapter, so you have time for plenty of showers and re-reads :D Whatever sparks your desire.**


	13. Wicked Gonna Come

Wicked Gonna Come

 **Chapter Title/Song by Blues Saraceno**

* * *

"So… It doesn't really do anything?" She took the next turn left and hit the horn when the car in front of her suddenly stopped. She winced slightly and adjusted herself in the seat.

His eyes narrowed as he observed her. "Not really. As I said, people will just feel the link between us. I can also feel it. Can you?"

She thought for a moment and nodding with a small smile. "Yes… there is… something. It's… warm and it's like you're imprinted in me, if that makes any sense…. It's hard to describe." Chloe accelerated once more, leaving the stopped car behind. "So... why?"

"You mean, why do they feel the link?" he asked confused.

She shook her head. "No, why _isn't_ it doing anything with me? I mean…, it's your _divinity_. You can do all kinds of things because of it, right? So how come I can't?"

"Are you disappointed that you cannot suddenly create a star, or sprout wings and fly?" He raised a curious eyebrow at her and let out a soft laugh when she nodded.

"I just thought… you know, maybe it would change me." She did sound slightly disappointed.

"Well, don't forget you are a different species, dear. You are not _made_ to be able to _use_ divinity. It is indeed a great source of energy that slumbers inside you now. To be honest, it's pretty much like a small nuclear reactor." As he saw her eyes widen in shock, he quickly added, "But I can assure you it is completely safe, because you don't have any way to access it. Nobody does except for me."

She swallowed, her racing heart slowing down, reaching for the AC console. _Nuclear reactor, huh? Yeah. I feel certainly warmer than before._ "Okay sooo…. it really is safe?"

"It is," he nodded affirmatively.

"Promise?"

"You have my word, Detective. I wouldn't have done it if I thought it weren't."

She chewed on her lip, thinking.

He licked over his lower lip nervously. "Do you… Do you wish for me to take it back?" He would. Without hesitation. But he would be lying, if he said that he wouldn't feel a bit sad about it.

"No…. No." Shaking her head she shortly looked over to him, offering him a soft smile, before focussing back on the road. "It's actually quite a nice thought… carrying a part of your light with me and I like the warmth it spreads inside of me." A subtle sting in her side made her pinch her brows.

The light smile that had risen up his lips immediately dropped again and he swallowed thickly. He knew it was because of him. She was in pain, because of his rough behavior the previous night. His voice sounded shaky. "Does it… hurt a lot?" Not that it mattered that much. He would whip himself for whatever harm came to her because of him.

She blinked, surprised at his sudden change of topic, but then she realized that of course he had seen her small pained movements. "It's okay, Lucifer. Don't worry. _Please_." She checked back with his expression for a brief moment. He looked thoughtful, worried and guilty. And she felt bad, that _he_ felt bad. "Lucifer, my muscles are just sore. It'll be fine in a day or two."

His eyes twitched. This wasn't all that was hurting her. "And… what about the bruises?" He pensively ran a finger over his right thigh, tapping at his knee, nervously avoiding her eyes. They hadn't made sensual love, after all. He had fucked her in full Devil mode, gripped and clawed at her precious flesh, bit her and slapped her ass. He had been wild and rough with her and had put them both into a state of mindless delirium with every thrust, pushing them both further up on the ladder of sexual ecstasy, not minding any potential physical consequences.

"They… They..." She sighed. "Look, Lucifer. I don't regret last night. Any of it." she said quietly, blushing, but her voice didn't shake. "It was what I wanted."

Tilting his head he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, nervous still, but more curiously now. "And… you… _liked_ it?"

She snickered, the tension inside her washing off her and she rolled her eyes. "Well I couldn't really let myself be heard that audibly, but hell yeah, I did." The smile on her lips radiated from her with ease. "It was... I honestly don't have a word that can really grasp it… Let's say perfect. But on a celestial scale." she mused and winked at him.

Lucifer let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding and visibly relaxed in his seat. "Well then… I'm glad you're not angry, or disappointed… or scared."

Chloe shook her head, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. "Even though you made me angry and disappointed me before… I was never scared of you. And I'm certainly not going to start after having had mind-blowing sex, y'know?" She gave him a smug grin. "Besides… you gave me what I asked for… Everything of you. I'm very thankful for that. That you trusted me for doing so."

Her words of acknowledgement caused a soothing warmth to spread inside him and he couldn't hide a smirk appearing on his lips. Nobody's opinion meant so much to him than hers and hearing that she was even thankful for him for being himself and showing her all that was him, was like a blessing.

The moment of soothing happiness was momentarily disturbed by the buzzing and vibration of his phone.

"Looks like my contact, Mercer, found our stone buyer." Lucifer said surprised, as he checked the display. "Bloody hell, finally, some progress… So his name is Tate Langdon. He's got a history of aggressive behavior and was sued twice by customers of his tattoo shop downtown, because of actual battery." He continued to read the messages coming in and released a sigh.

"So we have some crazy tattoo artist who has intentionally bought rare stones to make some sort of magical ink out of them? I mean, this is…" She didn't really know. Wacky shit? Who could come up with something like that?

"There's also some info on the seller." he continued, intrigued. "It appears he tries to stay in the dark. The other people in the market have only known him for two months. Nothing before. They couldn't give any directions as to how to get in contact. He seemed to just… appear. Calls himself the Guardian and was described as mid thirties, strong build, short, dirty blond hair, and green eyes. That's it, unfortunately."

"Great. We've got a description of the seller of those gems who, what? Fits tens of thousands of men in LA? Just my luck."

"Hm…" he huffed. "Seems like an odd circumstance, that he has the arrogance to choose an alias like _that_ when selling stones originating quite possibly from hell. Not exactly a _guardian,_ in my opinion… rather like a thief..."

Her eyes widened. "What?! What do you mean, they might be from hell? Where did you get that from?"

"I wasn't sure at the time. I'm still not completely sure, but the chances are extremely slim by now that they are from earth. And now that we know what's going on with the Styx…" He shook his head. "When Miss Lopez analyzed the components, the black diamond, and obsidian, ash, I got alert. They are very common in hell, especially that bloody ash..." He squirmed a bit nervously on his seat. "All three ingredients, sold from a guy who calls himself the Guardian, then put together by a complete nutter of a tattoo artist, who uses them to create an ink, and then tattooes the symbol of Hades on priests? I mean… come on. I don't believe in coincidences, but even if I would, _this_ would certainly be too much, don't you think?"

"True. So. Maybe we are looking for two people here, but… I dunno. Just because the seller seems a bit shady, doesn't mean he's involved in what this Langdon guy might be doing. So first off we need to find Langdon and see if he's actually connected to the priests."

"You think that nutjob isn't our guy?" he asked sceptically. "There has been no other buyer, Detective. My contact was very thorough with this."

"There is a small chance that he's not. We need proof, Lucifer. Perhaps a little surveillance is in order to-" Suddenly her phone binged. Checking the screen quickly she cursed quietly. "Shit… Another priest was found." Her expression faltered and she swallowed thickly. She felt as if her world was not slowly, but rather quickly bursting out of its hinges.

He ground his teeth with a frown and held onto the roof handle above his head. "Then step on it, slowpoke! Let's just hope the next crack hasn't happened yet…"

Things were slipping out of control. So many people had already died because of this lunatic and the potential for more deaths was endless. They needed to secure the area and hopefully, _hopefully_ , this weird crack had not yet opened up at the scene, because otherwise a lot more people were in immediate danger of dying. Chloe switched on the blue lights and hit the pedal full on. The clock was ticking.

* * *

Ella approached Chloe and Lucifer as they dug under the crime scene band. "Hey guys. Father Paul Simmons. Same tattoo. No other marks. Seriously, I don't get this at all, like… Why is the big Guy up there letting this happen?"

"There's really hardly a day passing by were I _don't_ hear this question. I assure you, He doesn't like interfering directly… Never has. He just leaves you to your fate unless He wants to make a point. Then He usually sends His pawns to do His bidding…" Lucifer grumbled and looked into the alley.

She sighed and looked horribly tormented. "The CDC is also on its way, you know, just making sure… Last crime scene all they found was quite a high amount of sulfur in the air, but other than that, nothing."

Lucifer looked back at her and raised an interested eyebrow. "Did they _smell_ the sulfur?"

Chloe frowned and Ella joined, slightly confused.

"What I mean is, did they _smell_ the sulfur or could they only _measure_ it or perhaps both?" Lucifer clarified his question, tensed.

"Erm… they said it's a bit strange. They could measure it with their instruments, but we all couldn't smell a thing. How did you... Why?"

Great… so there was already a measurable change manifesting itself on the earthly plane. They couldn't smell it yet, but that would certainly change as well if things were going to continue like this. "Oh, just… nevermind." He waved her off with a hand, avoiding the topic altogether. She couldn't know of the actual, literal hell that was going on around her. Oddly, he felt quite uncomfortable with not being fully honest to Miss Lopez, but to get her involved in celestial matters and make her a true believer, was simply something he always wanted to avoid if possible. And he was good at avoiding, for the sake of others and himself. He gave Chloe a subtle glance and nodded towards the scene.

"Right, okay, then let's take a look." she said. "Thanks Ella."

"Sure thing. Just, gimme some positive vibes and say we'll catch this monster."

She gave the forensic scientist a thin lipped smile. If only she knew what this was all about, she was sure Ella and Lucifer would have quite some talk about God. "We will. I'm sure of it." It wasn't a lie. She truly believed in them catching the bad guy, even though she didn't know about all the rest that was going on.

That put a little smile on the forensics face and the latina nodded, relaxing a little. "Thanks Chloe. Oh by the way, Lucifer! Thanks for your contact. He's been really helpful. Did he forward the name we found?"

"You're welcome, Miss Lopez. And yes, we got the name of that little imbecile who bought the hellsto-" But Chloe brushed in front of him, cutting him off.

"Hellishly expensive stones, yeah." Chloe quickly corrected. "Come on, Lucifer, let's see what's going on here." She indicated at him with a glance to get walking and to take a look around. When at a bit of distance towards Ella, she took a hold of his sleeve, seeking a quiet moment with him. "Do you see something? Any invisible water or crack?"

Lucifer slowly stepped through the alley, taking a deep breath and focussing his devilish senses on otherworldly substances. He scanned the ground before them, listened and sniffed the air. Nothing. He shook his head. "Nothing here… or maybe just _not yet_ …" He narrowed his eyes and eventually closed them, came to a halt and stood completely still. He knew what he was sharpening his senses for. "Stay close to me."

Swallowing, Chloe stepped closer to him, standing lightly behind, but almost touching his back. She knew he could feel her in his personal space. The tension in the air around him made her shiver and sling her arms around herself. Something was off, she couldn't see anything, but her instincts told here, that there was something. She just couldn't point her finger on what that _something_ could be.

The seconds stretched towards a silent minute and then he felt it. A soft shift in the air, in the mass around him. It started subtle, but almost immediately tore into a massive gap in the vibe around him. Opening his eyes he could now see it. Barely a meter before them, the ground seemed to crack and within a blink of an eye, green shimmering smoke erupted from the gap. Lucifer's arm rose to his side, blocking Chloe's further way. "Step back. It's starting…. Right there."

She couldn't see it. Anything of it. And yet she felt Lucifer's tenseness and his dread of what he was able to see unfold right under their noses. That creeped her out even more than the inability to see it. And she hated that she couldn't see it, even though she had a feeling she would probably wish she couldn't in case she actually would be able to.

It was ripping open quickly. And it was getting bigger. Wider. _Deeper._ Lucifer felt his throat tighten. He heard the eerie, spine chilling screams of agony, of unspoken horrors that were undoubtedly trying to find their way out of hell and climb up onto the earthly plane. Only he knew of the creatures of nightmares a humans' mind wouldn't be able to handle, that were just a stone-cast away. He could see them already, clawing, clumsily flying and jumping their way upwards, eager to leave the place of their endless torment.

"Fuck..." he cursed quietly. He could feel that Chloe placed a hand against his back with the need to feel him, have him as a security, as an anchor. But this was nothing he could handle by himself. Well, maybe he _could_. But with all those humans around him and with Chloe… things were overly complicated and there was the high potential for a lot of collateral damage he didn't really want to risk. He needed them gone. Or at least somewhat out of the way. And he needed time. So he just had one option at hand. Literally. "Amenadiel… come on bro…" he murmured under his breath as he placed his palm together, focusing his call towards the dark angel.

Chloe noticed Lucifer saying something, but couldn't make it out clearly. Looking over his shoulder, she saw he had his hands folded in prayer. _Oh…_ And suddenly everything around her froze. Well not completely, but things seemed to move at the slowest speed of slow motion possible. She felt her heart thunder in her chest from nervousness. She turned her head slightly, watching as dust particles, smoke, cars and all the people behind them were slowed down so that she could see every tiny movement. "What on earth…?" she heard herself speak. Something shifted beneath her hand and it was moving faster than what her eyes were observing in the alley.

Lucifer had turned around towards her and gazed at her confused. "Detective? How… how is it you're moving?"

She got pulled out of her awestruck moment and flinched as she saw not just Lucifer standing there, but also Amenadiel, wearing some strange looking, cultic robe and holding a silvery spear in hand. Chloe's hand pointed at the black angel, her mouth opening and closing. "Wha… how… Wait, what?!"

Lucifer tilted his head in curiosity at her reaction and even more so, because she was actually moving at normal speed. "That's… interesting. Must be my light inside you, making you immune to Amenadiel's power. Huh… I didn't know-"

"What do you mean, _you gave her your light_?!" Amenadiel groaned in annoyance and confusion, instead of a proper greeting.

Turning back towards his brother, he rolled his eyes. "Let's not brawl over vanities, shall we? This is really not the right time for it. Noticed the crack, brother?" Lucifer nonchalantly nudged his head, getting straight to the point of his call.

Amenadiel's eyes narrowed and he let out a dark hiss. "Yes, Luci. Guess what? I was busy fighting back several of escapees just before you called me here."

Lucifer's hands clenched to fists, his jaw tensing. "So you _knew_ what's going on… And you couldn't stop by for a little chat, letting me know?!"

"This is _your_ realm, Luci! You're the Devil and responsible for hell. We've been through this before!"

"Guys! GUYS!" Chloe angrily intervened and stepped in between the two. _Holy crap, am I seriously yelling at the Devil himself and his heavenly angelic brother?! Please don't let the wrath they have for each other ever hit me instead..._ She took a breath, giving Lucifer a harsh look as to tell him 'Just shut up now or I pull my gun and then you have a bullet in your leg, again.' "Amenadiel, do you know or have any idea on how we could close the cracks to hell?"

Amenadiel turned to also look at the crack that filled with the invisible water substance of the Styx. "I'm not sure. This… this has never happened before." He threw Lucifer a harsh, accusing look. "Shouldn't you have power over the Styx?"

Lucifer shook his head. "This is earth, brother. My control over hell's landscape is… well… only active in hell itself." He looked over the stream that was about three meters wide by now. He sighed. "Step aside. I'll at least give it a try." As Chloe and Amenadiel made some room for him, Lucifer positioned himself right at the edge to the stream. He stretched his palms out and the brown of his eyes bagan changing into a roaring crimson blaze. A breeze started to pick up around his body, lapping at his suit lightly, whilst a thick dark fog began to emerge from the ground.

Chloe watched with fascination but also a huge amount of prudence as well as awe when the fog swirled around Lucifer's legs, climbing up around him almost like serpents. It circled around his waist, up to his chest and split up to slither along his outstretched arms. Focusing his mind on the massive gap in the ground, Lucifer instructed the fog to dash forward as if he was releasing a pair of hounds. Like sharp darts the two snake-like fog trails shot to the gap and exploded into a carpet of blackness. At first it seemed like the layer was starting to wrap the stream up, but then the fog began to dematerialise and dissolve.

Seeing his attempt had failed, Lucifer growled, lowered his arms and his eyes returned to their normal color. "Bollocks." he hissed, vexed that it didn't work. Not only that, but he wasn't sure what else could be tried.

Chloe stared. _What the fuck had just happened? And why the heck are all these 'what the fuck' moments piling up?_ She was subtly trembling. Not because she was scared of what Lucifer had been doing, his eyes blazing up and that weird black fog doing something she couldn't find the proper words to describe in her mind. No. It was that she felt the very floor of her world shift and change. As if her world had been a two dimensional paper chess board before and all of a sudden it's turned into a three layered, three dimensional version from Star Trek. This was power - could you call it magic maybe? - that she felt completely helpless about. She felt like a tiny ant. Again.

"Detective?" a gentle voice rang in front of her.

Blinking she noticed that she had stared in a frozen state for almost a full minute at Lucifer, who was now carefully observing her, assessing her mental stability. "I'm… I…" she stuttered, but didn't really find a way to continue.

"You're not fine, but you will be, like the times you have previously explained to me?" Lucifer offered with a soft smile, uncertain though.

"Yeah. Exactly. I… I'll be okay. Just… need to let this whole" she made a strange waving gesture with her hands, to indicate the movements the fog had made, "that _thing_ you did… and all that… to… sink in. I guess." She saw Lucifer's face still looking at her skeptical as if it was screaming ' _Bloody hell, woman, don't you dare lose your sweet little human marbles now!'_. "So, your Devil-powers were a flop." She let out a long breath, flexing her fingers to let off some tension. She turned to Amenadiel then. "Maze is also out there, looking for… _escapees_ , as you called them. Sending them back if she can. You were doing the same?"

Amenadiel nodded. "Yes, I was just on the other side of town. All kinds of Hell's creatures are working their ways up through the breach… And I'm not the only one down here…"

She frowned. " _Down here_ as in… Wait, you mean there are other angels here?"

Lucifer looked at his brother with an unreadable expression, except for perhaps a slight amount of curiosity showing through. Chloe on the other hand could sense him tensing up.

"Yes, a few of our siblings have been instructed to come to earth to help." He sighed. "We're trying our best so that the humans don't take notice of us and what's happening… So far the cracks are not very stable, so not a lot of creatures broke through yet, but it's just a matter of time until-"

A shrieking, high pitched scream mixed with a roar tore the air around them. Chloe stumbled slightly backwards as she suddenly saw _something_ slip out of the ground where she suspected the -for her- invisible crack to the Styx was.

Both Lucifer and Amenadiel turned and saw as a beast from hell emerged from the ground. It's form was remotely worm-like but massive and bulky- looking, with two muscular limbs that appeared to be arms sticking out at its torso. It slithered over the edge, using it's thick, dark claws at the end of it's morbid looking arms to move, pulling behind it a slick three meter long tail, the end of which looked like the stinger of a scorpion. The front of the beast's head was nothing to compared to what earth's nature had ever developed. Only hell could produce such a monstrous design. There was nothing animalistic, even. Just terrifying. A wide, round mouth harbored long, spiked teeth, but no lips covered them. They were just there, bared, trickling with a substance that might be some kind of saliva. Small slits at the top and bottom of its head quickly opened and closed in an arrhythmic speed as it wiggled its head. It was smelling its new surroundings.

Now that the beast was turning its head, Chloe could see that it had two sets of glowing yellow eyes. They were positioned at the top and lower side of its head, pretty much making it seem as if it's face was mirrored horizontally. All in all, the creature looked atrocious and sent chills down her spine.

"Step back, Chloe." Lucifer said urgently and growled as he faced the beast that crawled its first few meters on the earthly plane.

Not needing to be told twice, Chloe quickly retreated into the alley, running past the still slow-motion people at the crime scene. Damn it. They were all here while hell broke loose right in front of them?! She got out her gun and crouched behind a dumpster at the side of the street. It seemed like enough space between the creature and her, to have at least the possibility to retreat further if necessary, but still close enough so that she could observe what was going on.

"Ugh… it's one of those… weird… tadpoles. I sent one of them back already. Smaller one though." Amenadiel grumbled, reading his spear. "Disgusting…"

"Yes, quite. They're called Varnags. If it is just like that, then we're lucky, because it appears to just be an immature one. You wouldn't believe the nastiness of them when they're fully grown." Lucifer commented starting to move to the side, so that he and Amenadiel were getting different angles towards the creature.

With yet another roaring shriek, the Varnag moved its upper body, shifting its glace between Lucifer and Amenadiel. Lucifer's eyes flared up and he made it clear to the creature that its visit to the earthly plane was very unfortunate as the first thing it encountered was the Devil. Baring his teeth in a daring smirk, he began to circle and stalk the Varnag as if the monstrosity was _his_ prey, not the other way around. Contrary to Amenadiel, Lucifer had no weapon at hand, but that didn't mean he was defenseless, or unable to make an attack. With a swift feint attack to the monster's side, he pulled the Varnag's focus on him. Snarling wildly, the beast struck down with its claws of its deformed hands in a concise pace, thrusting and bursting into the ground, trying to set a hit on Lucifer. But the Devil was very agile on his feet. With strong jumps to his left and right, he made sure to evade each hit so that the sharp claws missed him by several inches.

Amenadiel tried to use the distraction Lucifer created and dashed forward, aiming at the Varnag's tail. Leaping up, he vaulted off with his spear and struck down. Slithering and crawling its body, the Varnag jerked its head, taking a glimpse at the approaching angel and whipped its tail out of Amenadiel's way, only to charge back at him with the spiked and venomous looking tip of its tail. With a grunt, Amenadiel barely managed to block the attack with his spear's shaft, avoiding a direct hit. But the force of the impact was strong enough to send the angel backwards to the ground.

Lucifer observed the creatures anatomy. He knew the Varnag had a small chestpiece which was rather unprotected, but the problem was getting access to it. The beast was too agile to get anywhere near its soft underbelly. Its hungry mouth and deadly sharp claws were in the way. As he continued to evade its attacks as much as possible, he could see that its two massive arms had a disproportionately small anchorage to its torso. A potential weak spot, but dangerous to get access to as well.

"Amenadiel! Get a hold of its tail!" he shouted over to his brother, who just got back up on his feet.

"Easier said than done…" Amenadiel grumbled, swirling his spear as he approached for another attack at the Varnags tail. "What's your idea?"

"To get on the top floor!" He gauged the beasts reaction, pretending less interested and aggressive towards it, hoping it was therefore focusing its attention fully towards Amenadiel. And he was right.

Shifting its mass around, the Varnag struck out with its long, spiked tail at Amenadiel, who in return made a last second dash to the side. He used the turn of his body and its momentum, thrusting his spear to the tail and managing to pierce it right beneath its clawed end. The Varnag shrieked and snarled, turning its upper body towards the dark angel who held the beast locked at its tail's spot.

This was the moment Lucifer needed. As the painful distraction for the beast's tail took place, Lucifer ran straight for the Varnag's exposed side. Pushing himself off the ground he jumped up along the creature's backside. He knew he needed to be quick, before that disgusting monstrosity would simply do a roll and squish him like a bug. So, he focused on his every move. Every step he made had to be balanced and swift. He used his hands to hold on to the scaly back of the beast and began climbing its back until he reached its upper torso. Kneeling down to get a better angle, he reached his arms around the Varnag's left shoulder. It was a strong bone, but not a lot muscular tissue was protecting it. Lucifer growled, baring his teeth as he began to pull.

The Varnag screamed in pain as suddenly a shark crack sounded through the alley. Lucifer yanked harder, again and again, feeling how the bone inside the beast's body gave in, splintering. With another shriek and heavy grunts, the hellish creature's chest and head dropped to the ground, unable to hold its upper weight, without the support of both its claw-like arms. Whimpering the Varnag shook its head from side to side, snapping at Lucifer, but unable to reach him.

Lucifer held onto the beast's back. _Bloody hell, this is like riding a wild bull!_ The constant wiggling and snapping was starting to become tiresome to evade, and it was increasingly difficult to hold onto the Varnag's back. It seemed the beast was starting to panic, which made it even more dangerous to be in its proximity.

Chloe observed the scene from her hiding spot, a safe distance away, watching as Lucifer tried his best to cripple the beast, while Amenadiel kept its dangerous tail in place. A blurred movement caught her attention that arose from behind the fighting angels. At first it seemed like a dark shape, shooting up from the ground, presumably also from hell. Her grip on her gun tightened, although she suddenly felt awkwardly defenseless. A giant worm like monstrosity and a black… _thing_? How was a damn bullet going to help with all this crazy shit?! Swallowing she followed the black shape with her eyes, as it glided through the air when abruptly it stopped. It was now that she realized it was a person, a figure, male, wearing a black metallic looking armor. From his back, two wide limbs spread out into the air. _Wings_ , she thought. But they didn't consist of the wonderfully breathtaking feathers that Lucifer's wings were made of. They looked edgy, torn, plucked, and battle-weary. His eyes stood in a spine chilling contrast to his whole appearance. While his wings were black with sprinkles of red and also his armor was black, his eyes held a shiny, but icy blue that stared furiously at the fight beneath him on the ground. Reaching behind his back, he drew a sword and dove down to attack.

"Lucifer! Watch out!" Chloe's heart hammered madly as she screamed, stumbling out of her cover. She aimed, not even sure _if_ her weapon would have any effect on the monster or this attacking flying man. But she did know, that there was one among them who would be affected by her bullet. Lucifer himself. Because she was close to him, he was mortal. He could be hurt from a bullet, bleed and die. Within a split second her brain made the decision to shoot, while the flying being was still in the air, far enough away from Lucifer, and she had a chance to hit. She pulled the trigger. Three times.

The creepy looking winged man dashed down. Small impacts to his chest and side were reflected from his armor, like little annoying rock-chip, not leaving a scratch on the plating. With a roar he approached Lucifer, Amenadiel and the Varnag.

Lucifer's eyes widened as he heard Chloe's frightened screaming voice followed by three shots, echoing through the air. He was just about to push himself off, when suddenly a sharp metallic blurr appeared in front of him. Blinking he realized though, that it wasn't contacting with his own body, but the Varnag's head, which was now gurgling a last miserable sounding shriek before dropping motionless to the ground. He leaned back and looked further up, just now able to see what had actually happened.

A thin long sword was deeply buried in the Varnag's head. It was engraved with angelic runes. Lucifer's eyes narrowed. He knew that sword. As he tilted his head, his expression changed from tension to a mild surprise. "Nice finish." he congratulated the man, who pulled his sword out of the Varnag's head and sheathed it onto his back.

The man merely inclined his head an inch, his expression tense and wary. His blue eyes shimmered as he glanced over the creature and then over the people and the area surrounding him. The corners of his mouth seemed to dip down in distaste. He straightened himself and pushed himself off the Varnag, landing gracefully on the ground with his wings outstretched.

Amenadiel approached from behind the dead creature, pointing his spear premonitory at the unknown man. The Devil hopped off the beast and upon seeing Amenadiel ready to attack, raised his hands in a soothing manner. "Hold on, Amenadiel, you recognise a fellow kinsman, right?" As Amenadiel took a closer look, he lowered his spear, seeming to recognize him.

Chloe joined the three men, her gun still aimed at the winged guy. Who the heck is that and _what is wrong with his icy and weird looking eyes? They're giving me the creeps..._ she wondered, her expression grim.

"Easy, darling. Easy..." Lucifer said, smiling back at her.

The man turned, observing Chloe as she stepped up to them and raised a brow at the sight of her gun pointed at him. "Ha! Cute." he said with a mocking dark voice. It was sounding gruff but held a strange pleasant ring to it. "But still pathetic." Not paying her any more attention, nor being the slightest bit impressed from her weapon being aimed at him, he turned back to Lucifer. In one fluid move, he lowered on one knee, his head servilely bowed. "My lord."

Amenadiel's and Chloe's expression seemed mirrored. Both gazed back in surprise and confusion at the scene unfolding in front of them. It was the dark angel who only needed a second to adjust. Chloe on the other hand appeared stunned and gaped at the bizarre picture in front of her.

"Welcome to earth, Zuriel." Lucifer greeted with a pleased expression before sighing at his gesture. "Get up. You know I was never fond of the whole royal treatment. I'm not our Dad after all."

Zuriel rose again, looking back at the Devil with a cautious expression, but it was quickly replaced with a genuinely fond, small smile. "Forgive me, brother."

Stepping around Zuriel, Lucifer stood in front of Chloe, gently, pushing her hand down that still held onto her gun for dear life. "I'm sorry, he scared you, but please… try to not shoot me again, yes?" he urged her with a gentle smile.

Chloe looked back at Lucifer, then to the other man and back again to Lucifer. Nodding, she put back her gun into her holster. "Who is he?" she asked quietly again, eying the man behind him suspiciously.

"This is Zuriel. One of my most loyal generals and also a fallen brother." He turned to Zuriel with an acknowledging nod.

"He's… your brother? Another angel..." She momentarily wondered about how many siblings Lucifer actually had. Maybe like a dozen? More? She glanced over his features. It wasn't as if there were different angel families, so of course it made sense, he was a relative. His skin seemed smooth, but his facial outlines were sharp and edgy. He had a broad chin and prominent jawline. His brows narrowed to a glaring frown and his almost black hair was tousled. The armor he was wearing was richly decorated with swirls and runes, but now that he was up close, she could see that the armor wasn't in an immaculate state. It had deep cuts and slashes in it, some even seemed as if it were massive claw marks, which made her shiver, thinking about what kind of beast that had done. Maybe something as disgusting and horrifying as what they had just killed? She swallowed and carefully glanced back into Zuriel's eyes.

Zuriel let out a soft grumble at her wonder about him being an angel. "It's been… a while. Don't be fooled by my set of wings… I'm far from being… angelic." he let out a sigh. "We have rebelled side by side." His light blue eyes roamed over her features, seeming to be slightly irritated by something.

"Oh…" she breathed and nodded. "So… you also… fell… like him?"

"That is correct. Not _exactly_ like he did, but still..." Suddenly he leaned forward towards her, sniffing. His expression became darker, making Chloe physically draw back a little. A low growl rumbled from his chest and his torn looking wings twitched. "Something is different about you… _human_." he hissed her species' name in disgust. With another deeper growl he stepped into her space within a blink of an eye. "What is it about you?!"

Lucifer's eyes instantly set ablaze and with a roar he pushed himself into Zuriel's way. "YOU WILL NOT DISRESPECT HER!" Baring his teeth, he stood in Zuriel's way, towering over him, even though they were almost the same height. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

The abrupt interference of Lucifer made him tense up immediately. Zuriel withdrew several steps, his eyes and wings lowering in submission, but his hands clenched to fists in resistance. "But… my… my lord." he muttered in protest through his teeth. "She… is not an ordinary human. She reeks of heaven and-"

The Devil's hand snatched forward and took a vicious hold onto Zuriel's throat. "ME! She smells of ME!"

Zuriel froze in Lucifer's grip, looking back into crimson eyes. "W-what? But that's im-"

"She carries parts of my light." he spoke dominantly, his teeth still bared in anger. "She's _mine_ which also makes her _your queen_ and you will treat her as such! You _will_ obey her! Is that clear?" He waited to see how Zuriel would react to his explanation.

That was unexpected news for Zuriel. The fact that the _one_ being among all creation which had been vilified for eternity, which had been looked down upon from not only humanity, but also the main part of his family, the being which seemed to not have any ounce of possibility to ever put trust in anything remotely human… The fact that Lucifer had given parts of his light to a human woman was astounding, so say the least. He didn't even know something like this was possible. "Y-yes, my lord." Zuriel said in his deep throaty voice and signaled with his relaxing muscles and an understanding nod to his lord and brother, that he was not going to act against his order and would submit to his will.

"Good." Cautiously Lucifer let him down with the hellfire in his eyes vanishing. He looked back at Chloe, wanting to make sure she was alright. He could tell she was certainly on edge, but didn't seem terrified. Merely nervous and wary. _Yes… that's my brave Detective_ , he smiled inwardly and stepped over to her. Slipping a hand tenderly around her waist he pulled her close to him, wanting to give her something to lean on, something... _someone_ she knew and trusted.

Zuriel held his head slightly lowered, rubbing his throat. "For- Forgive me, for approaching you so rudely, hu-… my queen." he quickly corrected himself and made sure to not put any anger into his tone, when speaking to her, not wishing to upset his lord again and perhaps next time not get away with his life.

Whilst Amenadiel stood at the side, observing the scene and keeping quiet for now, Lucifer seemed satisfied with Zuriel's respond. Chloe on the other hand felt overwhelmed and out of place. It was strange to see Lucifer act this aggressively towards a family member, although she had to admit, she didn't know anything about their relationship towards each other and what their past looked like.

 _His… queen? Wait, what?! When did I become Lucifer's queen? Sure, he's called Prince Of Darkness and all, but… Ohh…_ She suddenly recalled how he had said to her that he was making her _his_. That he _claimed_ her. He didn't just mean it in context with his light. He actually thought her to be much more for him. Licking her lips a bit overwhelmed by Lucifer's gesture and the thought of people openly addressing her 'my queen', she looked at Zuriel. "You… you don't need to call me that. You can call me Chloe." She quickly glanced up at Lucifer, who approved with a soft nod.

"As you wish, Chloe." Zuriel gave a firm nod as well and turned to Amenadiel. "Your guards have been overwhelmed, Amenadiel! They are not master of the situation at hell's gates anymore, as you can probably imagine."

Lucifer tensed up and threw Amenadiel an questioning look. "Who has been assigned to watch hell when you left?"

"Jehoel and Dumah." Amenadiel murmured. "I thought both would be sufficiently skilled. Especially with a-"

"Zuriel, what is the situation in hell?" Lucifer cut in with a growl.

"My lord. There was a massive commotion about six years ago-"

"Six years _in hell_? That means about two months ago in earth time…" Lucifer muttered, curiosity audible in his tone. "Go on."

"During the commotion, several blocks broke loose. The other generals and I had to get a hold of them again, but there were several escapees we couldn't find. And then we began to feel shifts in hell. Arrivals seemed to be delayed, people not ending up where they should… It was very out of the ordinary. Chaotic, even."

"So… That would be the time that priests have been marked and killed with the Hades-symbol on earth." the Devil explained. "Do you know who you could not catch again after the turmoils? Anybody particular?"

Sighing Zuriel shook his head. "No my Lord, I'm afraid not. There was just not enough time to get a clear overview." Looking at the dead Varnag he let out a deep growl. "Your generals are trying their best to keep things in order, but it's an impossible task with what is currently going on and several of them have flipped sides and are not loyal to you anymore. Hell is breaking apart, brother. I was trying to keep this one in." He gave the dead body a little kick. "But they're simply too many and the cracks become too big for us to keep under control for much longer."

Chloe reached up to Lucifer's arm, drawing his attention towards her. "We _do_ have a lead however, Lucifer. Tate Langdon."

Lucifer nodded at her. "That's right… our mysterious tattoo thug we wanted to have a look at."

When turning around, Chloe took a moment to take in the sight within the alley. The time on earth was still slowed down to slow motion speed. "Amenadiel, can you think of something to keep the people away from the stream? Without holding time for eternity, obviously."

"I will… think of something." He nodded firmly, already in thought on what he could do.

"Lucifer." Zuriel carefully spoke. "If you allow, I will help send those creatures that surface back to hell, instead of returning. For now. I assume our heavenly siblings could use some help."

A smug grin appeared on Lucifer's lips. "Sounds like good plan. They could certainly need the help of a good fighter. As you know most of them are complete wimps. Just don't get too attached to earth or you might wish to stay like Maze." he joked lightly.

"Ugh, hell no!" Zuriel grimaced with a faint smirk. Bowing to his lord and queen, he flapped his wings and disappeared.

"Right…" Lucifer muttered after a moment of silence and stepped to the dead Varnag. He leaned down to get a hold onto the still-intact arm and dragged the worm-like monstrosity over to the stream. "Go back downstairs you grody, fat maggot." With a push of his foot he kicked the creature over the edge and watched it disappear in the depths of the Styx. "Alright. Now that that's done, let's pay a visit to Tate, shall we?" he asked, stepping back to Chloe's side.

"Sure, did your contact send over the address as well?"

He checked his phone, glad that in all the fighting it hadn't flown out of his jacket and got broken. "Yep."

"Then let's go." She gave a small, thankful smile to Amenadiel before she headed off with Lucifer. How on earth he was going to deal with this situation, she had no clue and she had the impression she probably wouldn't even be able to properly progress and understand with her limited human mind. There simply were things she was glad she didn't need to know and understand. Being friends with the Devil and dealing with his celestial family in the first place was already enough for a human lifetime to get along with.

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 ** **There is yet another little Easter Egg involved, but I'm sure for those who have checked out the last one, they will get this one as well using google picture search :) And as before, this is not relevant to the story and I will gladly explain at the end of next chapter, being released on Tuesday.****

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter with lots of things going on! As always, I am happy to hear your thoughts and feedback! :)**


	14. In The Shadows

In The Shadows

 **Chapter Title/Song by Amy Stroup  
(Isn't that song bloody amazing!?)**

 **Hello my fellow readers and Lucifans! Another long and tense Chapter awaits you! Enjoy!**

* * *

The building looked shabby. The gray facade had crumbled away and the masonry seemed to defend itself with its very last strength against its decline and inevitable end. Chloe guessed that it would probably not be able to withstand another five years exposed to the weather. The front of the building housed a small tattoo studio. When asked at the precinct, it turned out that the studio had been closed for two months. The same time frame that applied to the dead priests and, according to Zuriel, the riots and disturbances in hell. Two months since the mysterious seller of rare stones emerged. Two months in which, slowly but surely, hell on earth began to spread out, or rather, overflow its banks.

"Stay behind me." Chloe instructed her partner and pulled her weapon out of the holster.

Silently Lucifer nodded and stayed behind her as she approached the shop's door. It had an old wooden frame, but was equipped with thick iron bars, which looked freshly cut and mounted. It was dark as no lights were on inside. With her left hand, Chloe pulled out her little Maglight and beamed through the front windows of the shop. Through the slightly smudged glass she could only dimly recognize the interior. Some seating along the wall, a low table, a counter. It was the tattoo studio waiting area. In the background she could see a passage that probably led to the tattoo room.

"Looks like nothing has happened here for some time. The precinct said the guy closed his shop two months ago. But since it looks like _this_ , I hope that nobody has been stung from a tattoo needle here in years."

Lucifer walked up to the window as well. While her eyesight was nowhere good enough to look into the room a meter or so without squinting, Lucifer's sight were crystal clear. "There is no one inside." he said with certainty, turning to her.

Incredulously she shook her head in wonder. "How can you see anything at all without a flashlight?"

"I can see better than you can imagine, Detective." he replied calmly. "I'm able to see in complete darkness, among other things." He looked directly at her. "We should try the apartment on the back. I see and sense nothing here."

"You... _sense_... if someone is there?" She raised her eyebrow before she passed him and turned into the side street. "How does _that_ work?"

"Yes, a sense of _presence_. Well, aside of the other signs like heartbeat and smell, I mean." He followed her to the side door, which was provided with a bell and yellowed nameplate. With a gesture he gave Chloe the advantage.

Testing, she turned the doorknob. Locked. _Well, it could have just worked for once..._ She rang. Once. Twice. Then a multiple, annoying interval. No reaction. Irritated, she let out a sigh. Overcoming the bureaucratic hurdle to get a warrant would take another day, and there was no demonstrable and immediate threat from Tate. The mere purchase of the stones was not illegal after all.

Lucifer approached with a benevolent smile. "How about I give it a try, hm?" Before Chloe could fully form her protest, he gallantly pushed her aside and grabbed the doorknob.

"Lucifer, it's lo-" Then she heard a click and Lucifer pushed open the door. "How did you-?"

"I can open pretty much everything, you know? I'm exceptionally good with clothes…" he purred, grinning, and made room for her to enter. "Detectives with a weapon go first. Temporally mortal but generally immortal Devils second."

Rolling her eyes, she entered the hall. "Tate Langdon? LAPD!" Slowly she strode through the long corridor. The weapon at the ready, not sure what to expect, she opened the first door to her right. Bathroom. She went on step by step. The smell of something biting hung in the air, but she could not properly classify it. Vinegar, maybe, or some kind of detergent. Her eyes searched the sparse furnishings for signs that indicated someone was living here. There was unopened mail on a small sideboard.

Lucifer followed slowly, intent on not making noises, but rather perceiving those around him. He heard a thudding. A pulse aside from Chloe's. Slightly increased. And he smelt sweat. But not fear-sweat. It was different. It had other nuances. It was... nervousness. That was understandable with the LAPD barging in, he thought. "Someone's here." He whispered to Chloe, and nodded in the direction of the sound.

Chloe nodded back and adjusted her weapon as she entered the connecting room. The hallway turned into an open kitchen, leaning against the living room. Some boxes of food suppliers were lying open on the counter, dishes were in the sink and the fridge humbled quietly. The light in the living room area was sufficient to see, but left the corners of the room in the dark. "Tate Langdon? Show yourself! Come out with your hands up!"

A sudden shiver ran down her spine as a cold breeze brushed her. Her eyes went to the kitchen window, but it was closed. The two small windows on the living room wall were closed as well.

Lucifer felt the breeze too, although it felt different for him. It was more like a tingling that lingered in the air. And it felt threatening. Dark. He had the feeling of déjà vu momentarily, but couldn't place it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blurred motion. Instinctively he turned around. With a low growl, he looked into the darkness of the corner beside him. He could see a man hiding there. "Tate... come out, come out, I _know_ where you are..." Lucifer purred in a sombre chant. His eyes flashed fire-red and a grim smile settled on his lips. He imagined that it was finally time to give this human scum his just punishment. No matter what human laws would say. This criminal no longer moved in the context of earthly rules. No... He literally made hell overspill and for _that_ the Prince Of Darkness himself would take care of him. Unerringly, Lucifer strode towards the corner. They had him surrounded - Tate had nowhere to run.

Chloe's eyes widened as she saw thick, black smoke rising up beside her, which seemed to squirm like a living thing. All of a sudden, the smoke began to form a shape and its consistency changed to a real fleshen person. A broad-shouldered man with black-green bat-like smoky-wings looked at her sternly and with a dangerous, maniacal smile.

"Hello, little human pet." His deep voice whispered, feeling like needles to her guts and sending shiver down her spine.

There was a movement towards her neck, too fast for her to really notice. A sharp stabbing pain shot through her body and a second later she felt her legs give in. "Lucif-!" But she did not get more past her lips before she sank to the ground, her weapon dropping in the process.

Lucifer growled and spun around instantly to face the attacker. With his teeth bared, he saw the man straighten up in front of him. _What? Him? That can't be... How could he have...?_ The Devil stared at the man irritated and in disbelief. "...Gadreel..." he breathed quietly. Anxiously his eyes briefly fell on Chloe. She had her eyes open but looked dizzy. But she was alive. He could hear her heart racing, but she looked like she could not move a muscle. He glared again at his adversary and enraged hurtled towards him.

"Now, now!" Gadreel snapped with a grin, made a quick movement with his leg and displayed a warning finger to Lucifer, forcing him to halt. Then he looked down to Chloe. His boot pressed hard against her neck. "One step further and the neck of your little Detective is newly aligned."

Lucifer snorted and kept his distance, taking in the shape of him. The strange looking wings of Gadreel that waved behind the angel made him swallow. _How was that possible?_ "What do you want, Gadreel?" He was barely four meters away from him and could not get close enough to him without jeopardizing Chloe's life. Her body would simply break with a bit too much force from Gadreel.

Her arms and legs were numb. She felt sick and dizzy, but her sight was clear. She involuntarily had to think of roofies and other drugs that were often given to young women to make them defenseless. With panic she looked up and could see Lucifer on the other side and she listened as they spoke. _Gadreel? Was that the name of the guy? What the.._. Her gaze swept upwards. _He's got wings… an angel… wait… smoky wings?!_ She squinted her eyes. _Damn it… everything's spinnin'... nggh… they seem t' know each other…_ It was just now that she realized, the man wore a long brown coat and beneath an actual armor. _A freakin' armor?!_ Not the pompous middle ages type or one like Zuriel had been wearing, but simpler, with more thick leather padding parts and straps in between. It looked worn out in a way, like it was several centuries old, but yet it seemed to still fit and do its protective job. A strange red pattern on his upper arm caught her attention. It seemed like an old scar or burn that over the years still looked ugly. The shape looked familiar, but everything in front of her momentarily blurred once more and she had to fight against the nausea.

Gadreel licked his smirking lips, glaring back at Lucifer. "First of all," he cooed mockingly and playfully, pressing his boot harder to Chloe's neck. "You."

Tears stung in her eyes as she felt herself desperately fighting for air. She began to gasp and started to shiver all over.

"Leave her alone!" Lucifer's clenched fists trembled with anger. His chest contracted forcefully when he saw Chloe coughing in pain and he hated to be in a bind. He couldn't let her get hurt like this. He had to make sure she was okay. He had promised to protect her...

"Ohh…! I'm sorry…" Gadreel spoke sarcastically. "Are you worried about her fragile body? I'm bound to say, that looked quite different just the other day. You really got it on with her pretty roughly, didn't you? You bad, bad Devil…" Sneering he grinned at Lucifer.

Lucifer turned pale. "What? How do you-" He swallowed hard. His eyes widened as he realized that Gadreel must have been watching him and Chloe the previous night. He had felt a change in the room, but had not seen anything. Presumably his senses had been too focused on Chloe. He felt sick to the stomach. "You bloody, wretched-"

Unnoticed by him, a shape rose from the shadows of the corner behind him. Lucifer had been right, there had been someone there, but now he could not prevent anymore what was coming.

A brief, compressed hiss cut through the room and Lucifer groaned. Then another hiss and another. Something sharp stuck between his shoulder blades. The pain was grueling and forced him to his knees with a short cry. Breathing heavily, he propped himself up with one hand while trying to use the other to reach behind his back, but the movement was unbearable. His muscles and nerves felt like fire that was licking greedily at him. It spread from his back into his chest and all his extremities. _Poison..._ Gasping, he collapsed, losing the feeling in his fingers, arms and legs. His surroundings began to blur and darken until he was only able to vaguely hear his surroundings.

"And what am I supposed to do with her?" Whispered the man. He put aside a small rifle and approached Gadreel and Chloe.

"Hold her here and then continue with your task. I'll take care of her later." Gadreel strode up to Lucifer and kicked the Devil lightly to the ribs. He did not whine or flinch, only pant heavily. Gadreel grinned darkly.

"Keep going? Boss... it's quite a lot of 'em in such a short time, don't you think we should slow down a bit and-"

Gadreel turned towards his henchman with raging green eyes, his bat-like wings twitching and widening intimidatingly. "Do I hear back talk, Tate?! Don't forget who you're talking to!"

Tate blinked and vigorously shook his head, intimidated. "N-no... no, of course not! Whatever you want."

"Good... After all I'll pay you for your job with unspeakable treasures! And do not forget what fate I'm sparing you from…"

Chloe's breathing was short and fast. Her stomach felt miserable and her head was ringing madly. She couldn't move, and forming coherent thoughts seemed like an act of violence to her brain. She heard the men talking and stared at Lucifer, who laid motionless in front of her, just inches away. She tried to reach out. In her mind she formed the picture of what she wanted to do. She was struggling to get her muscles to do what she wanted and stayed unsuccessful. She just couldn't reach him. Couldn't speak. Overwhelmed by her helplessness, she felt tears streaming down her face. _Is he alive? Did they...? Oh God, please..._ She focused on what she could perceive with her eyes that she still had control over. He had his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open. His torso seemed to raise and lower a little. _Yes! He's breathing... That's good..._ Then her eyes fell between his shoulders. There were elongated short things with fluffy feathers at the end sticking out of him. _Stun darts. Holy shit..._

Tate moved in front of her, crouched down a meter away, and picked up her gun. He grinned to himself, weighing the weapon and obviously going through some twisted thoughts, but eventually settled with putting it away from her and out of her reach. Suddenly she was whirled up and pressed against her stomach. She wanted to kick and fight back, but it was futile, her muscles wouldn't work on her will.

"Stop it, bitch!" Tate grumbled as he tried to keep his balance while he shouldered her.

She heard a moan. _Did I just do that?_ She did not really have control over her vocal cords and was not sure. But she was feeling sick and lying halfway over someone's shoulder did not make it any better. Chloe's perspective turned and lifted. She slowly moved away from Lucifer. _No! Damn it! No, let me go! Lucifer!_ But the voice was only in her head and could not pass her lips. She saw how the other man - Gadreel? - bent over Lucifer and pulled him up as if he were light as a feather.

"Back to where you belong, _snake._ " he growled in disgust and hatred as he placed Lucifer's arm over his shoulders to hold him upright. "There are so many who look forward to seeing you again…"

Then she saw Gadreel flap his grotesque bat wings and he and Lucifer dissolved into thick black smoke and disappeared.

Her head ached terribly as she struck against the back of a wooden chair and was roughly knocked off by Tate. Once again she felt a wave of nausea, which she could only suppress with the last of her strength so as not to vomit.

Tate grabbed her wrists and began tying her to the armrests. When he finished, she saw him go to the kitchen. Shortly afterward, he came back with a kitchen towel and looped it over her mouth and behind her head.

"Make yourself comfortable." Tate grinned, patted her cheek lightly and disappeared from her view. She heard the door of the apartment open and close and then it was quiet. All she could do was stare ahead dizzily and breathe.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the familiar smell of sulphur. The air was heavy to breathe and almost felt as if it was burning his lungs from the inside out. He coughed and took fast, rustling breaths. There were particles in the air, that he accidentally sucked in, making him cough harder and gag. He felt a strange ache in his shoulders and at his feet and there was a distinct sound of footsteps next to him.

With great effort he blinked and opened his heavy eyelids. He stared at a dusty grey and rocky surface that was moving. His head was throbbing and he realized he was looking at the ground, his head hanging loosely forward. _Bloody hell, every muscle aches… how's it poss… oh right... poison…_ he remembered vaguely. His lips felt dry, strangely as if he hadn't had something to drink in weeks. Well, he did recall his last Bourbon, but he hadn't felt this particularly dry. Not since he woke up in the middle of the desert about a year ago. He moved his tongue, moisturizing his lips as best as he could, and felt a bitter taste. _Ugh… disgusting..._

Blinking again, he noticed there were two pairs of legs in his view, one to his left and one to his right. _Well those aren't mine…_ he ascertained. He tilted his head to look further upwards at his sides and saw that his arms were outstretched. His wrists were held from strong hands. Exhausted his head dipped down again towards the grey moving ground. As he felt he couldn't lift his head anymore he decided to try and look further down, to see the rest of his body. It turned out his own legs were way behind him, slowly slipping along in a shaky drawn line. _I'm… I'm being dragged… What...?_

A high voice rang to his left, cutting into his thought process. "Do you know what you wanna do with him first?"

"Oh yesss… I'll pluck every damn feather from him like he's a freaking Christmas goose." a bass voice to his right growled with a sinister laugh. "We'll see how far he can make it with just his naked membrane, haha! What about you, Puriel?"

"I wanna whip him with my cat o' nine tails until his precious skin is tearing off." the high voice, obviously called Puriel, chimed with an excited, squeaky tone. "And when he's all healed up, I'm just gonna do it again!"

Both burst out into a disgusting malicious laughter. _Puriel…?_ He knew that name… It belonged to one of the punishers. Brothers of Lucifer that had also rebelled with him once, and who held a massive grudge against humanity since their Father had created them and told his children to love them more than Him. The punishers had always been hard to keep in check for Lucifer, as they tended to revel in their sadistic behavior towards humans. Now it didn't sound far fetched, to think they wanted to let him feel some of the hatred they had harbored against their former boss, because he had been a ruthless Lord of Hell to everyone in hell, damned souls and servants alike.

"Puriel! Hutriel! Focus!" a familiar voice ahead of Lucifer rang. _Gadreel_ , he recalled. _Chloe… He hurt her... That fucking bastard!_ "Get him inside!"

 _Hutriel… Another punisher…_ The ground beneath him changed into dark tiles. Three soft thunks against his feet made him notice he was dragged up a short flight of stairs. _Wait a second... I remember those... Those are MY stairs…_

"Here we are!" Gadreel called in an all too happy, stretched out chant. "Home sweet home!"

A rough pull on Lucifer's tousled hair made him look up with a grimace and a groan escaping his mouth. He blinked again and swallowed when his previous thought was verified. He saw a grand hall, decorated with chandeliers, paintings and a mix of expensive classical and modern furniture. Right in front of him was laid out a red carpet, leading towards a black shimmering construction, carved with delicate ornaments and padded with red velvet bolstering. Yes, he knew this place very well. This was his throne. He was in hell.

Something shimmering black-silver on the ground caught his eye. A pile of chains. As his sight sharpened a little, he realized where they came from. They had been used on Gadreel himself to hold him captive within his tomb ever since they had all fallen eons ago. Hellforged chains, engraved with runes, which were made to hold the fallen angel and make sure he could not escape his punishment. He swallowed.

Gadreel pulled again at the Devil's hair, making him turn towards him. "Ah, you already saw my little surprise, hm? Well, you don't know what's coming next though! Haha!" He seemed to turn away a bit. "Boys, get the hooks!"

Lucifer felt a thick lump in his throat and his breathing increased, panic starting to tingle in his nerves. He tried to wiggle free from the grip the two men at his sides held onto his wrists, but it was a pitiful attempt. The combination of Gadreel's chains and the word 'hooks' sounded like something he didn't want to further find out about. But then he recalled something from his past, something that sent shivers through him. He knew what his brother was about to do. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. _Oh no… Gadreel… please don't..._

Other men appeared in front of Lucifer. He heard the rustling and clanging of metal and the two men holding him were turning him around, forcefully pushing him to a kneeling position.

Gadreel gripped onto his collars of both jacket and dress shirt and with one sharp pull, tore both clothing pieces off Lucifer, tossing them to the side with a laugh. He leaned down to Lucifer's face, lifting his chin. Green, piercing eyes glared at the Devil. "Enjoying the effects of the poison I made for you, Samael? This one was especially made to keep your body weak like a little puppet."

 _Samael?_ His mind tried to understand. _Yes of course…_ Of course he would call him that. He only knew him as Samael and not as Lucifer. He panted and heard himself groan as his arms were stretched out further to his sides. More hands gripped him from behind by his upper arms and throat, when suddenly a sharp pain surged through his left shoulder. Something tore into his flesh, slowly plunging its way through muscles and sinews. He squirmed, but couldn't move himself out of the twisted grab he was held in, not even an inch. While his body desperately tried to move away from the torturous stab, his mind was focusing on the only thing that he was left with and able to do. Not scream. He didn't want to give them any form of satisfaction, if he could prevent it. And he did have a strong willpower. The strongest there was among God's children. His jaw tensed and his teeth locked together, grounding at the attempt to endure the pain and push it away from his physical experience into a mental memory, that couldn't hurt him anymore.

"Oh... look how he's trying so hard not to scream... Next!" Gadreel bared his teeth in a grin.

A rumor of sinister laughter rumbled around him and a second later, his right shoulder felt like it was ripped apart. Another slow, excruciating thrust of something sharp was done to his shoulder and Lucifer saw white and black spots appearing in front of his eyes he had pressed shut in pain. Something in his mouth cracked, but instead of it adding to the pain he already felt, Lucifer filed it away as a good thing. _That_ pain was good. At least better than the other. So he focused on it. But he needed something else to focus on in the long run, because he knew that this was hardly everything they would be doing to him. They were just getting started. The Devil knew punishment. So he knew his mind could only lock away so much. He needed to transform the intensity of the pain into something else. Something more useful. And he knew exactly what that was. Because he was the _Wrath Of God_. So he would nourish exactly that. Wrath.

"Go on!" Gadreel barked to the left, his eyes not stopping to glare back at Lucifer with greedy and cruel amusement.

The punisher to his side, growled and changed his grip from Lucifer's wrist to his fingers. Another sharp pain intruded into him, slicing into his palm. He breathed heavily by now, suppressing any sound of suffering and pain. Instead, the brown of his orbs began to change into a soft orange glimmer and a twisted smirk began to spread over his lips. His chest began to contract and a wave of low laughs echoed through the big throne room.

"Why the fuck is he laughing?!" Puriel's high voice rang irritated. "Did you give him something else?"

"No, he's just suppressing his pain to focus on something else." Gadreel explained with a knowing look and a grin of his own. "Let's see how long he can manage that."

Another thrust sent an excruciating piercing pain through his other palm, burning on and on like the rest of the wounds inflicted on him. Lucifer bared his teeth, the muscles of his jaw flexing as he continued to laugh at his tantalizers. The orange in his eyes changed into burning embers. "I will… remove you… from existence…. " he breathed darkly, tilting his head head and looking at the man in front of him. "I'll start… with _you_."

Puriel looked back into Lucifer's blazing eyes. For a brief moment he hesitated, surprised and intimidated by the Devil's promise, given his current position. But it only lasted a second or two. Then he and the rest of the men barked out in another round of mischievous, disbelieving laughter.

Lucifer's grin widened, seeming almost maniacal, as he dared a glimpse over his side. He saw an inch thick metal hook spiking out through his shoulder muscle. Shifting his view up a bit, he saw several other men and realized they were all fallen brothers of his. All of them had become punishers in hell. Seven in total. And now all of them as well as Gadreel indulged in the pain they were inflicting on him. Exhausted from even just the little movement of his head, Lucifer looked back to his front where Gadreel stood.

"You know, I really thought you would get it a bit sooner, Samael. The symbol, the ink from hell ingredients, the apple in your penthouse… and then I even paid you a visit when you were so… lewdly humping the brains out of your sweet human pet, giving her a proper Devil fuck!" He grinned sadistically, the men around Lucifer joining in on a rumbling laughter.

 _WHAT!? That bloody crippled wanker watched us like a fucking perv! Ugh…_ his mind wandered. _So it wasn't a wraith but him who had picked up the apple in my penthouse. That blasted apple just being the reason for every dad-forsaken problem that came up in the history of humanity afterward isn't it? …Wait a moment, what? The bloody symbol? What does he mean? That makes… no sense..._ "What... do you want? Hm? Tell… ol' Lucifer. Are you still… all mad at me... because of Eve?" he sneered in between heavy breaths, dismissing Gadreel's attempts to draw an angry reply from him about Gadreel's private little peep show.

"Shut your snarky, duplicitous lying mouth!" With a roar Gadreel's fist contacted with Lucifer's jaw, causing the Devil to burst out a forceful breath and grunt.

Lucifer's lungs were rasping, but the grin didn't disappear from his lips. "So that's a _yes_ …" He wasn't stupid in mocking Gadreel. He knew it wouldn't make his own suffering any less. But he would get more out from him, make him do and say things he normally wouldn't. And that at least had the possibility of giving him an advantage. Maybe. "What, little Gadreel? You didn't have the guts… to stand before Dad and defy him… when you had your chance." He looked back at him, daringly. "You _chickened out_. And then you killed your siblings in cold blood… because you were too afraid of the consequences… you'd have to face..." Lucifer's burning eyes glared back at Gadreel tauntingly.

"That's enough! You were the one who betrayed me, Samael! You abused my trust in you, my own brother!" Gadreel snarled, reaching behind his back under his coat, drawing out a mace. It was about three feet long and its tip consisted of a cylindrical arrangement of metallic spikes pointing up and outside its center. Said center had a blue electrical static, which looked as if a small lightning storm was created inside the mace's tip. Lucifer immediately recognized it as Gadreel's heavenly weapon, he had used during the rebellion. " _You're_ the reason I was cast out! Just because you couldn't keep your fucking curious nose to yourself and just do your job!"

"My job? Look who's talking! Who didn't do his job in the first place and opened the gates-" His sight momentarily went black when Gadreel's mace connected to Lucifer's head, thrusting it to the side in a sharp movement. The impact was so hard that he instantly heard his pulse throbbing in his ears. A half inch deep cut drew itself along from Lucifer's left ear over his cheek, his hot blood streaming down along his jawline before dripping to the black tiled floor of the throne room. "Tell me something though... " he panted, spitting blood. "Why… Hades… Why… the symbol…?"

Gadreel frowned with a mocking smirk spreading on his lips. "You really didn't get anything right, did you? I've heard about your little version of that pathetic Greek cleric in the brothel back in the days. You really believed that you are Hades, for all those years?!" He shook his head laughing a sinister snicker. "It was never about _you_ , you idiot! The symbol is _mine_!"

 _Bloody what?! What the hell does that mean, it's his?_ This didn't make any sense and even with everything his body was enduring, he could feel his stomach twisting with a strange presentiment. "So… I guess it wasn't my opium then, that made him go nuts…" he lightly probed.

"No it wasn't. Actually it was Shoftiel, who managed to create a bond to that mortals' mind, injecting him with my mark, tainting his tiny soul. It was surely just a small attempt to draw power from the earthly plane. It took its time… just a few thousand years… Small amounts of people remembered me, prayed to me. Their Princeps. Their lord. Their Hades… It took its time for my wings to regenerate, obviously..." Gadreel ground his teeth, using his mace to raise Lucifer's chin, the sharp edge starting to pierce into the flesh. "...but I got back what I wanted… what I needed."

Not able to escape and wind his head anywhere else, Lucifer stared back at him, now fully able to take in the sight of the horrendous set of wings his fallen brother had regrown. Swirls of black and dark green fog slithered like snakes, spreading from behind Gadreel's shoulders and entwining to form a set of morbid looking wings. They weren't feathered, but rather reminded of bat-wings, only that they were torn and appeared to not actually be fully materialized, but as if they were stuck in a transparent, floating in-between-dimension. However gruesome they were looking, apparently they let the fallen angel travel the planes. _So the bloody bastard got his wings back, just not in their original form and beauty… Bloody fantastic…_ "Impressive…" he grunted sarcastically, when suddenly something sparked up in his mind and he noticed something odd Gadreel had said. He had called it _my mark_. Not just a symbol. A mark was something that was done by someone… He needed more information, but there was not much he could lure him with, so Lucifer had to fish in the dark. "And what about that mark of yours? Did you want to get rid of it like Cain did?"

His fallen brother burst out a dismissive laugh. "Get rid of it?" He stuck his mace back to his armor and made a step closer to him, so close, that he was just mere inches away from Lucifer. Gadreel's green eyes shimmered and seemed to freeze with a sudden hardness that ran through his mind, memories of the past surfacing. He took a hold onto the hem of his right shoulders leather armor and pushed it up, so that his biceps was fully visible. "That's not an option, brother." he hissed lowly.

Lucifer watched his moves and response with a growing worry and had to use all his self control to suppress a sudden gasp, when he saw Gadreel's mark. A rough and padded scar in the exact shape of the symbol the priests had been tattooed with was deeply engraved into Gadreel's flesh. It was clear to him in an instant that this was a mark from their Father. _So Dad cursed him… But He also cast him into hell… locking him up... why though?_ His mind was reeling back and forth trying to put together information he knew, but he soon understood that there seemed to be several pieces of the puzzle missing.

"You don't know the reason why I got the mark from Father, do you?" Gadreel growled, noticing Lucifer's blank stare and figuring that he was trying to understand.

"I don't." he responded truthfully, watching as Gadreel stepped back from him again.

"They looked down on me, like _I_ was the enemy. Like _I_ had been the one to break everything apart!" Gadreel's voice echoed through the hall as he roughly shouted. "I could hear them talk about me behind my back. See the mistrust in their eyes. Their disappointment. Their contempt to know me. That I'm their brother and that they cannot change it, no matter how much they wished they could. And for the fact, that because they rejected _you_ , they also rejected _me_." His words were drenched in equal amounts of pain and hatred, mixing together to a venom that had seethed for several millennia. "They made me _hate_ them with every fiber of my being."

Lucifer clenched his teeth. "And we all know what happened next. The rebellion just played into your hands. You were never interested in free will, but wanted their death for your rejection. _That's_ what you were marked for..." he realized, lowering his gaze. "You just wanted _revenge_."

"Yes, exactly." Gadreel bared his teeth in a sinister grin. "But you see, it's not just them who will have to pay. Everyone will pay. Our brothers, you, humanity and Father. Because all of you blamed me and then you locked me in a cell, thinking that by doing so, you can just forget about me! As if I had never existed!"

"You're mad, Gadreel…" Lucifer breathed. "You can't think that the havoc you're causing is justified by what happened to you!"

"YOU TRICKED ME!" Gadreel suddenly roared at him. "You tainted my mind so I would let you enter the Garden of Eden!"

"That's not true!" Lucifer growled back angrily. "I gave you a choice!"

"I'm done listening to you, snake! You and your twisted tongue! I will make you all pay for what you did to me." His eyes began to go ablaze in a green flame. "It's almost poetic, don't you think? I opened the gates of the Garden for you once and now I will open the floodgates of the Styx. I'll drown and poison earth with the horrors and sins of hell, just like you ruined the Garden by tempting Eve. You'll have first row seats, while I take away your worthless little pet and all those insignificant friends of yours. Oh, I'm going to enjoy watching you, while you will have to watch everyone you know and grown close to wither and die, until eventually I'll take _you_ down. I'm going to take my time with you, for you let me rot in a cell for _millennia_!" Gadreel roared, panting in rage. "Now…. GET YOUR WINGS OUT!"

"Or _what_?!" Lucifer shot back with a grin on his lips, spitting out another clot of blood to the side. "You gonna hit me again with your pathetic little stick?"

All Gadreel did was nod at somebody standing behind Lucifer. Another one of the punishers, as he assumed. A rough kick into his back sent Lucifer bending forward to the ground, grunting and panting heavily. Gadreel swiftly moved around him and used the tip of his mace like a spear. He thrust its top spikes directly in between Lucifer's shoulder blades and blue-white surges of light zapped along the mace's tip, into the Devil's back.

He could barely hold himself from screaming. The electrical surge that struck into his back broke through Lucifer's physical shape and connected with his wings on the light plane. Not able to suppress his body's instinct to move, his massive white wings emerged from his back, making the men around him take a step back to keep a safe distance. All men but Gadreel. He pulled back his mace and moved to the Devil's face again, taking in the view in front of him for a moment.

Lucifer was still kneeling and bent forward, shivering, only held up by the men at his sides. They held onto thick chains that connected to hooks pierced through Lucifer's hands and top shoulder muscles. He was covered in blood and sweat. Only his wings looked unscathed. Something Gadreel was about to rectify.

The men behind Lucifer sent Gadreel a nervous glance. They were intimidated by Lucifer's wings, knowing how much power they held. At the same time though, they were more than happy to hurt the Devil in every way their twisted minds could imagine, and all they needed was the "Go" from Gadreel. "Don't worry brothers… the poison still works. Get to his wings, and then he'll be yours. For the first few decades..." That was enough for the punishers to hear. Together they took a hold onto Lucifer's massive wing bones, gripping them fiercely, holding them in place.

His wings were sensitive. And he held a deeply rooted emotional connection, importance and care towards them. All things he would not admit, especially to his foes. However, under the circumstances and the influence of the poison, the fear of harm coming to them, let alone the thought of these twisted torturers maybe cutting them off of him, was terrifying. "Don't…n-no… no don't…" he stuttered, his eyes wide in shock and fear. "N-no…" What they intended to do… he was not fond of it, to say the least.

"Right through the top bows, my brothers, hahaha!" Puriel's voice rang with laughter.

Chains rustled behind Lucifer's back and then a gruesome and mortifying pain transfixed him. Something sharp and thick pierced through his his left wing, right below the top bow of the bone. Skin, muscles and the sensitive flesh of his membrane tore apart as a metal spike plunged through, making Lucifer lose the last remaining strength to hold back. He screamed in pure agony and affliction. Spit, sweat and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth as he couldn't help but surrender to the pain.

His wings were a blessing and a curse. Strength and weakness. Although heaven's power was still lingering inside them, Lucifer knew they would drain him of it. They would make him bleed out his divinity, take away his strength and turn him into a hollow shell. He knew it, because he knew torture. It was exactly what he would do in their position.

Without another word Gadreel left the throne room, satisfied with Lucifer's position, leaving him to the hyenas, so they'd take care of him.

"Makatiel! Come on! His other wing!" Puriel excitedly barked.

Lucifer couldn't brace himself for yet another torment he had to endure and the grand hall's walls of the former Lord of Hell trembled with waves of bone chilling screams that mixed with malevolent and ferocious laughter. The punishers divided to the sides of the throne room, pulling with them the chains. They connected them to a system of hoists, gruesomely pulling Lucifer several feet into the air. The hooks in his shoulders held Lucifer's main body weight, while the ones in his wings and hands were merely used to stretch him out, so he had no possibility to move. He was being crucified.

Time ran differently in hell. When minutes passed by on earth, hours would pass by in hell. And Lucifer's punishers had waited for their chance on revenge for eons. They would pay him back accordingly...

* * *

 **I know! I know! I have to admit I am practicing to keep a bit of tension at the end of some chapters :D If you feel like crying for Lucifer now, I can certainly relate, because I felt like a torturer myself, writing this. Anyhow, you did get quite some background and new info from this chapter! What do you think?**

 **Next Chapter on Friday!**


	15. You Can't Take Me

You Can't Take Me

 **Chapter Title/Song by Brian Adams  
In my early teens I had seen the movie "Spirit" and the song as well as the images got stuck in my mind. Still gives me goosebumps.**

 **I wish you a great time with this Chapter! :) Thank you everyone for reading. It's amazing to see people seem to enjoy my story :) I feel very honored!**

* * *

The minutes stretched on and on, and Chloe felt her body become colder from exhaustion and the apartment's shitty insulation. She squinted her eyes, blinking, and refocused on her surroundings. Her lips trembled and waves of uncontrolled shivers ran through her limbs. The apartment was dead quiet apart from her breathing and soft groans. The building laid a couple of streets below the next main traffic road, so she was not surprised there wasn't a lot of noise coming through to her at this time of the day. But the eeriness was adding to her feel of helplessness.

Sniffling, she wanted to wipe over her nose reflexively, but struggled at the feel of the cord wrapped tightly around her wrists. _Fuck, that hurts…_ She sighed, her head dipping forward from exhaustion. The kitchen towel felt soaked from her saliva and her mouth felt tensed but numb from the gag. _If only I could get the freaking cord more loose…_ She looked to her left and right, frantically searching with her eyes for something to give her an idea, when she felt her head pound heavily. _Oh shit… why the heck did I move my head so fast again? ...Wait a second… I moved my head?!_

She tilted her head, which worked just fine, aside from the massive headache. _Gotta go a bit slower…_ She took several deep breaths, feeling into her extremities. Her fingers moved. Her toes moved. _Yesss…!_ Her mind was hysterically happy. She could move. Sort of at least. Her brain tried to catch up together with her body, but it took her another full minute to form a following coherent thought on what to do next. She looked around, trying to calm her breathing. _I need to keep calm, not panic. Gotta go easy with the oxygen and focus. Count to three. Breathe in. Count to three. Breathe out._

Her eyes scanned the room and assessed her situation. She was bound against a wooden framed chair, wrists attached to the armrests, positioned in the middle of the living room. To her left was an old scuffed couch, which color some decade ago might have been a nice warm green. Now it was discolored to a faint, dirty mint green and made the appearance of harboring fleas all over. She shivered, hoping to not catch anything in that sinkhole, especially if she could potentially pass it on to Trixie. _My monkey babe…_ Her heart sacked down a notch, realizing how much she wanted to hold her baby girl in her arms, protect her from all the hell that suddenly broke loose around them. She wanted to make sure she was safe. _But first things first..._

Looking to her right side, stood a glass coffee table with old magazines, prospects, flyers and some unopened mail lying on top. The walls had small cracks, plaster coming off and an old, half broken cabinet stood lonely to her opposite side. _Shit._ This psycho had absolutely… nothing. How people could live like this, she couldn't comprehend. There was nothing personal. Nothing nice. Nothing to make it… a home.

She eyed the table again. Glass. It wasn't thick, and looked rather breakable. She could try to scoop up to it and topple into it, hopefully not hurting herself in the process too much, so she would get a sharp piece of glass to cut the ropes with. It was a possibility. Other than that, she couldn't see anything useful lying around. Taking a deep breath through her nose she made a swaying movement with her upper body and with one tense up of her muscles scooped herself forward. An inch. She sighed at the minimal progress. _Breathe. Just go on._ Another forward thrust, scooped her further towards the table. Inch by inch, she moved. She took her time, although in the back of her mind, she felt the threat of Tate returning and who knew what he'd do to her if he saw she was up to something.

The minutes passed by and she was quickly covered in sweat, but eventually she was close enough. She smirked into the kitchen towel gag, catching her breath. Right as she was about to start toppling to make herself crash into the table, she noticed the label of one of the flyers laying on top. _Believe and Pray!_ She stared and swallowed. A fucking end-of-the-world club preaching about making atonement and redeeming yourself. _Oh holy shit! Praying! Praying! Of course!_ Her mind reeled, thinking too much at the same time and not one clear thought fully through. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down for a moment.

Would it make sense to pray to Lucifer? She wondered. This Gadreel guy took him somewhere and it sounded like he wouldn't let him get in his way. But perhaps… perhaps it would help him to hear her? _Is it possible to sort of… update him through prayer?_ She focused, imagining him in front of her, mentally reaching out to him, comforting him. _Samael…? Samael I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know that I'm okay._ She paused her thoughts towards him, not sure really what else to say or rather pray. It wasn't like she could ask him something and expect him to answer her. But she could ask something of him. _Samael, I want you to hold on, okay? I… I'll find you. Just hold on. You have to hold on._

She squeezed her shut eyes harder, pushing the tears that had welled up out of the corner of her eyes. _Now. I gotta get out of here._ So if she could pray to Lucifer, she could pray to his siblings, right? Both Zuriel and Amenadiel were his brothers. One fallen, one still up in heaven's graces. She had nothing to lose really, so she just gave it a try.

 _Zuriel…? Zuriel I don't really know if my prayer works… It's Chloe… remember? Your… um… queen?_ She paused, taking a few breaths to refocus her thoughts. _Zuriel, Lucifer and I walked into a trap. I'm held captive in an apartment on Cole Street… there's a tattoo shop downstairs..._

She broke off to call out to Amenadiel. Could she give them enough instructions that they could fly over somehow? A sudden swoosh and rustling sound rang next to her.

"I have heard you, my queen." Zuriel's voice rang slightly out of breath.

Zuriel stood so close to her, Chloe actually startled as soon as she spotted him from the corner of her eyes, although, still bound to the chair it didn't do much to her position. How had he found her so quickly? She wondered if there was some strange GPS ability to a prayer… or how could this work? "Mmm! Mmm!" Chloe mumbled through the gag, shaking her head in attempts to loosen the cloth.

The fallen angel reached to her head and removed the kitchen towel before attending to her wrists. He moved in front of her and easily tore the ropes to shreds.

"Thank you…" Chloe instantly wiped over her mouth and massaged her wrists, spotting that his dark armor was covered with something wet. She swallowed. _Blood… Demon blood…_ Zuriel's words however made her quickly refocus.

"That felt very… peculiar." Zuriel spoke slowly, helping Chloe to carefully get up. "I have not heard a prayer directed at me since my fall. A very bewildering experience. I didn't think it to be possible..."

"Well, I guess that's just how Lucifer felt like when I prayed to him. You should've seen his face." she responded, walking over to the kitchen area where she and Lucifer had been overwhelmed. She roamed through the shelves and cupboards, eventually cheering a stressed "Yesss!" when she found her service weapon. She holstered it, making sure to put back the safety of the leather clip on top. A piece of paper on the counter, with lines written in black ink and crossed out with a thick read marker, caught her attention.

Unaware of Chloe's sudden interest, he arched his brow. "You… prayed to _Lucifer_? I can see how you… intrigue him." he sounded incredulous and impressed to a certain degree. _How was she doing that?,_ he wondered.

Chloe took a closer look at the paper and gasped. They were all there. All the names of the priests were listed one after another up to their latest victims, Thomas Hill, Clint Henning and Paul Simmons. Lowering her view, her eyes watered. There were two more names on the list. _Shit._ She quickly took her phone out and texted Dan the names, asking for an immediate full police protection.

"So… where is he? Where's Lucifer? It reeks of hell in this room…" Zuriel took her out of her thoughts eventually.

She tucked her phone back and walked up to him. "We got tricked. We were after Tate Langdon who lives here, but out of nowhere a man with strange wings appeared. Lucifer called him Gadreel. He took him somewhere."

Zuriel snarled, his ice blue eyes widening. "What?! Gadreel? He escaped?" His whole posture was changing immediately, becoming more tense and angry.

The word _escaped_ didn't particularly relax her nerves, but made her swallow in worry. "Do you mean escaped as in... he escaped _hell_?"

"Yes, he has been imprisoned in hell for his grave misdeeds in heaven." Zuriel explained as he walked through the living room, sniffing the air.

"So he's a fallen one, like you and Lucifer?" she tried to conclude.

A deep angry growl rumbled through his chest. "No. There is a severe difference between Gadreel and my lord and me." he insisted, looking back at her with his cold eyes, which now appeared as if they were blue dancing flames, standing in contrast to Lucifer's hellblazing crimson ones. "Gadreel has relished in darkness that quickly consumed him. It made him blind, unable to see his own downfall. He has no decency, no virtue. He's but a shell of the angel he once was."

Chloe brushed her hands through her hair, thinking. "Okay. You said it reeks of hell in the apartment. So that would be because of Gadreel, right?"

"Most probably." Again Zuriel sniffed the air. "There is a distinct smell of sulphur in the air. Yes… the consistency is unique… It definitely comes from hell. What has Gadreel said when he faced my lord?"

She licked over her lips and closed her eyes shortly, recalling Gadreel's words. "Um… he said that he will bring him where he belongs… there would be people waiting to meet him again… but he… he sounded really sarcastic and malevolent." Which wasn't good and her mind began to wonder what people holding a grudge against Lucifer would want to do to him.

The angel in his black shimmering armor nodded and bared his teeth. "He took him back to hell then."

There was a sudden change in his demeanour and Zuriel seemed eager to leave, but Chloe reached out to his arm. She wasn't even able to get a real grip onto his wrists that were protected from encarved bracers, but it seemed enough to make the angel pause. "Wait! You can't just leave me here!"

"I have sworn to protect my lord with my life and even if I hadn't, I would still do it for he's my brother!" The anger in Zuriel's eyes was evident and he didn't hold back on his determination to do whatever was necessary to help freeing Lucifer. He withdrew his wrist from Chloe, inching closer. His broad frame was even more intensified through his heavy plated armor as he was towering her.

Chloe knew this behavior, at least parts of it. Lucifer liked to subconsciously use his size to tower over people he wanted to intimidate for whatever reason he'd have at that moment. She could understand Zuriel's loyalty and connection to Lucifer. They were brothers after all. But the bond appeared to go deeper than what laid visible to the surface. Stories laid hidden beneath, which seemed to have forged a different kind of bond between Zuriel and Lucifer. But regardless of what they both had experienced, Chloe and Zuriel did have the same goal at this moment. She calmingly placed her palms against his chestplate. "Look. We both want him back. You were about to go back to hell, right?"

Zuriel's posture softened the slightest bit, his eyes twitching, questioning. "Yes…?" His tone was unsure, wondering what she was getting at.

"Is there a way you can take me with you?"

He frowned confused and made a step back from her. "I… don't understand. You are… _alive_."

She nodded, waiting, hoping that there were more celestial, otherworldly possibilities, that her human brain hadn't thought about yet.

A shift of irritation and insecurity seemed to disturb him. "My lord would not be pleased if his queen would die." He paused to lean in again. "Also… you carry his light. And you… appear to be a righteous human. Therefore, you would not end up in hell if you were to die. Unless you were to commit suicide. Not that I would _let_ you..."

She shuddered. So the commit-suicide-and-you-go-to-hell-thing is… a _real_ thing. "Can't you just… take me with you or something? With me staying alive I mean. You have wings and can switch planes, right?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I do not hold the power to move living beings between the realms. I believe such ability is available only to my pious brethren and Lucifer himself."

"Hm… Pious..." she pondered. "Pious such as Amenadiel?"

He nodded with another sigh. "Yes, I suppose." When he saw her eyes close and her expression harden as she focused her thoughts, Zuriel observed her intently, but did not stop her. _How peculiar_ , he thought. _A human who is so resilient and determined to travel through hell to help the Devil himself._ It seemed she was not afraid to go through lengths that were not meant to be taken by any living human being. He hoped she would be strong enough to survive the trip that she was so determined to make.

* * *

"Another! Another!"

"Yeah! A big one!"

"Yes! Take a tail one, Hutriel!"

"Alright, alright brothers! Just give him a wake up call first. I want him to really feel the pain."

"Hey! Wakey wakey, little Devil!" a deep voice growled.

A sharp sting on his cheek shook him out of his catatonic state, making him open his eyes. Immediately his body fell back into heavy tremors. His breathing was heavy and laboured, flat and raspy. He had no control over any of his bodily reactions whatsoever, so the slow run of his tongue over his lips was a remainder of a subconscious move he didn't realize that he was making. He flinched, feeling his lips had sprung open, bleeding. His mouth and throat felt dry. He tried to gauge how long he was in hell already, but time was a difficult thing to grasp with so many factors to take into account.

He couldn't see the sky from within his former throne room, not that it mattered much, because hell's sky was a swirl of greys, blacks, and reds, that was both consumingly dark and blindingly dazzling. He had been out several times for the past… hours, he guessed. Yes, It weren't minutes anymore since he was brought here, but hours. But how many? More than one? Yes, certainly. More than five or less? He frowned as he started into nothingness with glassy eyes, trying to search inside his mind for the sense for time as he had felt it run for eons when he was condemned to rule this place. _Definitely more than five_ , a tiny fragment in his memory called out to him. Suddenly however, something else rang in his mind and it had a familiar tone to it.

 _Sam... Samael… don't know... hear me..._

His head was throbbing and the voice in the back of his head was excruciating. It was hard to make out the words, but what immediately awoke memories, was the ringing like bells in the distance. There were no bells in hell. It was this voice...

 _...but I want… I'm okay..._

Chloe! It was her! Where was she though? Was she really okay? Was she hurt? What did Gadreel and that miserable lowlife do to her? He swallowed, felt again the sharp tightness in his throat and grimaced.

 _... hold on… find you... hold on._

Hold on. Yes. He tried to. He desperately tried to hold on, but he had a feeling things would become even worse and he wouldn't be able to hold himself together for that much longer. Hell's timing was gruesome.

"Hey! Anybody still in there?" the deep voice growled again, calling for his attention.

Unable to focus further on Chloe's words, Lucifer blinked and shifted his gaze around, searching for the owner of the male voice. Another pain surged through him as a blow to his chest pressed out what little oxygen his lungs had filled up with. Lucifer's eyes wavered and eventually rested on a tall sturdy figure. Kushiel, he recognized from the heavy scaled right arm plating and the venomous looking spikes decorating the left. Lucifer sucked in a couple of flat, hurtful breaths before the pain seemed to ease from his chest at least a little. The punishers were all brothers of him, but their treachery and alignment towards evil had cost them a lot. Because hell changed those it stuck its claws into and that meant, that whatever hell managed to influence, would pay for that weakness. For the punishers had once been noble angels and faithful warriors, they had turned into morbid and obnoxious looking monstrosities of their former shapes.

Armor parts had grown into their flesh. Their skin had withered, cracked, changed in its color and even its very substance. Their faces had transformed any expression into a haunting nightmare. Weapons they had once carried with them in heaven, had turned into twisted instruments of the tortures they carried out in hell. And as they had once been forged in heaven, they remained able to hurt angels, no matter of what their former warriors had turned into.

Lucifer felt a fierce pull at the lower part of his left wing. His muscles cramped up and he let out a desperate scream, husky and hoarse from the hours and hours of ongoing torture. He felt each and every single loss of every feather Hutriel had ripped off his wings. He had lost count. With his head hanging forward and from what he could see laying on the ground it seemed about two, maybe three dozen. He could feel the loss of power, as if every feather was a battery that was unplugged from his body. Each time he would bleed parts of his divinity from the puncture wound the plucked feather would leave behind. And with every drop of divinity leaving his body, Lucifer's wings lost more and more of their heavenly glow.

"You've had your fun, Hutriel! Time for him to meet my cat. Have a close look, Lucifer… but be careful…" Puriel's shrieky voice snickered. "It's got claws! Hahaha!"

A whip cut through the hall and several spikes tore into his right side. They were stuck an inch deep in his flesh. Lucifer hissed and groaned, trembling at the fierce impact that seemed to linger.

"Ohhh! Nice hit Puriel!" another laughed.

Puriel grinned, licking over his razor sharp teeth. He held the whip's stripes tense for a while, keeping Lucifer in the unknown of when he'd remove the spikes from him. But he didn't just remove them. He _yanked_.

A severe, heart shattering scream erupted from Lucifer's chest as the whip's claws ripped several small pieces of flesh effortlessly out of his right flank. Blood spilled down his side, soaking his dress pants and pooling on the ground beneath. Distressed, whimpering groans of pain trembled over his lips. He could feel how his body tried to catch up with its healing process, but the lack of divinity was denying him a release from his pain.

"Again, Puriel! Again!" he heard the punishers shout excitedly, cheering and barking in laughter.

Another lash cut through the air and once more Puriel's weapon sunk into Lucifer's flesh on his upper left thigh, ripping through his pants. Darkness began to enclose around his mind yet again as the pain surging through him overwhelmed the remaining consciousness he could uphold. His scream was merely a weak groan, exhausted, tired and beaten. He wanted peace and quietness. But his punishers didn't grant him a second of either of them. Instead the uncountable and undefinable minutes and hours passed on in which hell displayed its disgusting effects.

* * *

"Lucifer?" a voice in front of him called.

Something warm touched his cheek. It was so out of context that it felt irritating and disturbing. He flinched and tried to inch his head away.

"Lucifer… wake up." the voice sounded more urgent. Female, he registered. Familiar somehow.

He breathed out yet another whimpering pained moan when he felt the warmth against his cheek move in a strangely pleasant way. His eyelids fluttered open and his brown iris' needed several moments to gain back their focus in sight. When he realized who stood before him, his breathing immediately increased to a desperate rasping, his eyes growing wide. "N-no… no… that can't be… you… y-you can't..."

"Shh… it's okay..." the woman in front of him said. "I'm here now…"

"N-no, no you…. you can't be here. W-why are y-you here?" He trembled all over, dread flooding every fibre of his being, piercing his heart and tearing at it in a gruesome play.

She smiled tenderly at him, both hands caressing over his cheeks in light strokes, unimpressed by his torn flesh, the blood and sweat covering him. "Well isn't that obvious?" Her teeth showed in a gentle smile, her deep ocean grey-blue eyes glistening.

He frowned. His head tried to come up with a logical conclusion, but nothing made any sense.

"Because of you, Lucifer." Her voice was strangely cheerful. "You brought me here."

"W-what?" _How did I bring her here? Did I…? Did she… did she die?_

"You defiled me." Her smile became oddly terrifying. "With everything you did, you tainted all the goodness inside of me. Even that I was a miracle didn't matter anymore. You turned my soul pitch black."

He shook his head. "N-no… no I didn't… I... w-why are you saying this?" The stinging pain in his chest worsened and it felt as if a hand was enclosing around his heart, starting a vicious grip, tightening second by second. _How can she say that? I… I tried to protect her. I was trying to be good… I… I tried to show her that I'm not a monster, that I was worthy..._

She laughed. "Of course you did, Lucifer. You hurt me. You caused me pain again and again and again. And then, when I could least take it, you tore my world apart, showing me the true evil Devil you are."

Images of himself flashed up in front of his mind's eye. His hands covered in blood as he viciously slaughtered both his brother Uriel and Cain. Reality was replaced by choking illusions that his brain couldn't debunk as a trick. He killed them. Brutally. It was murder. Cold blooded murder. And then she had seen the monster. She had been afraid, ready to shoot him. He had destroyed her world. Had destroyed _her_. "This can't b-be... I didn't mean to… I n-never wanted for you t-to… get hurt… I..." His throat locked up, not letting him choke out one more word even though he desperately wished for her to hear him out.

"Oh but you _did_ hurt me. And now I am here, in hell, eternally suffering, because of you." she hissed with anger, her fingers scraping over his cheeks, drawing thin lines of blood. "It's all your fault, Lucifer! My soul was tainted, because of you. I died, because of you. Trixie lost her mother, because of you. And the world is doomed, all because of you!"

"I-I'm sorry… C-Chloe… I… I…" he sobbed miserably. There was no strength in him left to hold his emotions together in any way.

She glared back at him, her expression turning into a twisted, sadistic and angry smirk. A twist inside him made him release him another scream. Tears, blood, saliva and sweat dripped from his face while his heart felt like ripping in half. His eyes fluttered as blackness started to envelope him once again, just barely able to see her shape dissolve into thin air, before he passed out.

* * *

"This is insane." Amenadiel sighed, crossing his muscular arms disapprovingly in front of his chest. "You're mortal. And _alive_. You shouldn't _be_ in hell. I can't even tell if you would survive the travel between the planes!" he exclaimed in refusal, after having been updated from Chloe and Zuriel on the situation of Gadreel having escaped hell, and him being responsible for the dead priests and thus causing the Styx to breach and now having also kidnapped Lucifer. The idea of Chloe to travel down to hell and get Lucifer back however was out of proportion for a human to state. It sounded mad.

"I have to take the risk, Amenadiel. It's not like we have much of an option, do we? Maze goes to find Tate and you need to support your siblings to fight back whatever crawls up from hell. Zuriel can help me on my way to find him once I'm down there."

"You don't even know what it's like and what awaits you in hell, Chloe."

She shook her head in denial, and momentarily felt how her head was heating up, making her feel dizzy. She frowned and sighed in frustration at the situation. This just couldn't be it! There had to be a way. She had to somehow get to Lucifer and bring him back. They all needed the strength and powers of the Devil to help deal with the Styx and also with Gadreel. Rubbing her temples she sat back in the chair she had been freed from just a few minutes ago. Everything was a mess. Tate Langdon was on the run to find yet another victim. They had no idea where he would strike. Of course the two names on the list were a possibility, but not a guarantor to catch him. Gadreel took Lucifer to hell and meanwhile the Styx is a constant and literally growing threat, which is about to basically flood earth and turn it into hell 2.0.

Groaning Chloe leaned forward. Her chest hurt and she wondered how all of a sudden the room had become so freaking warm. Just a few minutes ago, the apartment had felt really cold and it wasn't that the crappy apartment had a decent heating system. Or was it perhaps her own body going nuts? Did she catch something from Trixie maybe? She sighed and tried to focus, but instead rested back against the chair. She closed her eyes and breathed. "I just… need a moment." she muttered and fanned herself some air.

"Chloe? Is everything alright?" Amenadiel lowered his arms and stepped closer. Zuriel did the same and together they cautiously observed her.

"Yeah, just… feeling a bit hot. Must be from the stress."

Zuriel moved in even further, standing directly at her feet and slowly holding out a hand towards her head. "You… feel strangely divine, I haven't noticed before..."

Her brows arched in wonder. "What? You mean the thing about Lucifer's light?"

"Well… that and… there is something else divine. I cannot pinpoint it though." He frowned and looked at Amenadiel. "Do you know what this is?"

Hesitating slightly, Amenadiel came close and also held out his palm towards Chloe's forehead. He could feel a distinct vibe, one that he knew very well because he was responsible for it in the first place. Swallowing his eyes glanced at Chloe, then to Zuriel. "Um… yes, I… I know what this is."

"Well? Spit it out, Amenadiel." Zuriel's frown darkened.

Moisturizing his lips nervously, Amenadiel looked back at Chloe. "How… how much did Lucifer tell you about… you? I mean… your effect on him."

Her head spun. "My… effect…. You mean… that I make him mortal?"

Zuriel's expression exploded into shock and his posture immediately tensed as his frame seemed to become taller in front of her. "You do _what_!? How are you making him mortal!? Is that another of Father's punishments?"

Amenadiel jumped at Zuriel's side, placing his arm against the other angel's chest to shove him away from Chloe, who had pushed herself further back into the chair in surprise at Zuriel's sudden outburst. "Easy, Zuriel! Step back!"

Chloe swallowed and frowned. "I don't know how! Lucifer said he isn't sure about the reasons."

The dark skinned angel sighed, knowing that Lucifer simply had avoided to tell her this tiny but very important detail. "Chloe, you are a miracle. I mean… literally."

"W...what do you mean?"

"You… you were-" he sighed. _Luci, I'm gonna kill you for putting me into this position…._ "God wanted you to be created. Your parents were unable to conceive a child. Father sent me out to bless your parents, and… nine months later you were born." Expectantly he gazed back at Chloe, somewhat happy about the fact she was already seated. That way she wouldn't be able to faint and drop on the spot.

She didn't faint, but she had frozen in the chair. She remembered Lucifer calling her a miracle for giving hope to the Devil himself. She didn't have any idea that he had meant this so literally. _Amenadiel blessed my parents, because… God wanted me to exist? So… is he… my father? Is my dad even my real dad? A freaking angel blessed my parents and I am born….. What the hell AM I?_ Memories started to impact on her like a meteor shower. About Lucifer talking in anger and horribly hurt, asking her whether she knew about _it._ Whether it was all even _real_ between them. Or if this was all some game from his Father to put her in his way and… Her eyes widened in shock and realisation. She hadn't known any of the things Lucifer had been talking about were because of the doubts he had. _Was I put into his path?_ _Free will. It all comes down to free will, he had said to her._ He wanted for her to have a choice. Always. And then she remembered their lovemaking, when he looked at her awestruck, mumbling ' _He knew exactly what He was doing when He created you'_.

She felt like the world around her warped and expanded and suddenly there was this odd feeling of softness inside her. It spread from her chest into her extremities, into her head, fingertips and toes until she felt… she felt… she didn't know. Her dizzy brain searched for a word to fit. Her mouth formed words without her knowing what it was that she was trying to voice, but it happened like an instinct. "Vah Shul." She blinked, not even understanding what she just said. Her voice had sounded completely different to her usual voice. This sounded so much more… _more_. It was as if someone had taken the endless spectrum of the colors of a rainbow and applied it to her vocal cords.

"My queen?" she heard a distant voice and a light shake at her shoulder, pulling her out of her trance. "Chloe? Look at me." Zuriel spoke a bit more urgently, exchanging looks with Amenadiel.

Chloe looked back into Zuriel's ice blue eyes, his expression disturbed and grim. "W-what? What just happened? What was that? I… I said something… I feel… different..."

"You just spoke the first language." he explained, observing her physical constitution. "The tongue of angels."

Amenadiel leaned in once more, reached out his palm and focused. The divine energy she had taken in from Lucifer had massively increased. Her very being was drenched in his light. Putting two and two together, he figured that this was the reason for her sudden heat-burst. "The amount of light you carry from Lucifer… it…. it is a lot more than what you had before."

"She is touched by God, Amenadiel. It's not far fetched to assume that perhaps she is capable to hold more divine power than a plain human could." Zuriel said thoughtfully as he helped Chloe to stand again.

She held onto his arm for a moment longer to stabilize herself before she felt confident enough to let go. "I… wow… Just a sec, yeah…?" _Okay…I'm obviously not a silly little insignificant human as I thought I was. Why am I not!? It would be really cool all of a sudden to just… be back to Detective Decker and not… the weird miracle Chloe who's throwing a party with her angelic friends and is on the search for her partner the Devil who's currently in hell, which was also a real place…. Alright Chloe… take a breath… One…. two… three...four… five.. That's it._ She calmly took another breath and began sorting her thoughts. No wonder why Lucifer was always this upset with celestial matters. They were kind of throwing a spanner in the works. Continuously. Big time. "What did I say?" she eventually asked, not addressing one of them, but both. "In the angel language I mean."

"Vah Shul. That means Morning Star." Zuriel explained and watched as Chloe shivered when he spoke the words again. "It would make sense in connection with Lucifer's light inside of you. The question stands though, why the amount of his divinity has grown in you."

"I think we have hit a dead end, brother. This has never happened before to my knowledge. The fact alone that he gave parts of his divinity to her… As far as I know, no angel has done this before."

Chloe gasped. "What? He… he told me that it would be okay. That I shouldn't worry. It sounded like… like he knew what he was doing." She frowned, hoping that Lucifer didn't intentionally or unintentionally put her at risk by giving his light to her. "How did he know?"

"What do you mean, Chloe?" Amenadiel asked.

"Well you said nobody did this before. So how did Lucifer know how to do it in the first place?"

"I… I don't know." Amenadiel responded a bit dumbfounded. "I myself didn't know this was even possible to be honest. You'd need to ask him."

"Alright. So with that we are back on the topic." she nodded sternly and took out her phone and the list of names she had found while Amenadiel and Zuriel exchanged wondering looks, but waited for what she'd do. "Hey, it's me. - Yes they are with me. - Is Trixie okay? - Okay good, but don't give her your knifes! - Look, I need you to do something for me. I know you're going to have a great time. - I figured. Find Tate Langdon. He's currently out and heading for his next victims. It's quite possibly two priests he could be heading for. I'll forward everything we have on him and the potential victims. I put Dan on the priests as well. - No, Tate's not the one behind it. Apparently it's Gadreel. - Yes we're aware. - Okay, thank you, Maze." She tucked her phone back in the inside of her jacket.

"My queen…" Zuriel carefully rose his voice. "About your demand to descend to the underworld. Perhaps the odds are not as bad as we thought."

Her expression became alert. "What are you saying? Is there a way?"

"Given the amount of divinity inside you and… your origin, whatever this might mean, perhaps you would be protected for the travel through planes." He was still careful to state this though. It had been crystal clear from Lucifer's behavior how much Chloe meant to him: Everything. And Zuriel was not going to jeopardize her life if he could help it. However, he knew what it meant to be filled with divinity. He carried his own small remaining amount and the effects he had on his surroundings were still immense in the eyes of a human. He could see that Amenadiel threw him a worried look, but more because he knew they had no other choice. They couldn't both be in hell searching for Lucifer, while earth would be attacked. They needed control on the topside.

"It sounds… logical, if I can put this celestial stuff together." Chloe could see the silent disagreement from Amenadiel, but she was aware that this decision was for her to make. And she knew Amenadiel knew as well, that this was the best shot they had. "Please, Amenadiel. Come on, you know we need to do it this way. And I need your strength to fight for humans up here."

Amenadiel clenched his jaw, closing his eyes. He was obviously having an internal debate with his own beliefs. After a minute he exhaled with a long sigh and nodded. "Alright. Are _you_ ready, Chloe?"

The sudden finality to his question made her pause. Was she ready? Ready to go to hell? Ready to take the risk of dying? She immediately thought of Trixie again and of the last words she had told her. Yes she told her she loved her, but still. The thought of Trixie being informed of her mom disappearing… and maybe she would actually die through the transition. Her heart thundered in her chest. But… if she couldn't find Lucifer… If she couldn't stop that hell was flooding earth, then… it wouldn't matter, because they would all die. It would be hell and humanity would suffer, perhaps be completely wiped out of existence. With tears in her eyes she looked at Zuriel and then to Amenadiel. She nodded and stepped in between the angels. "I am. Let's go."

Without further ado, Amenadiel closed the distance to Chloe and pulled her into a fierce embrace. He rolled his shoulders and she could hear the distinct swoosh rustling sound, which Lucifer's wings made when he used them. Not even a blink of an eye later, everything around her went black.

* * *

 **So! You got through this! And yes, I tortured poor Luci (and obviously your hearts) for another Chapter, but help is on its way! Any thoughts and feedback are as always very welcome! And even though it might be an emotional rollercoaster I am sending you through, I promise things will be okay. :) Next Chapter on Tuesday!**


	16. The Dark Descent

The Dark Descent

 **Chapter Title/Song is in reference to the horror game called "Amnesia – The Dark Descent". I recommend listening to the atmosphere tracks of the soundtrack on YouTube.**

 **Welcome to hell! Please take a seat on the rack that is not yet occupied, grab a bucket of popcorn and enjoy the ride. :)**

* * *

The transition was rough. Rough being that Chloe felt as if her insides were torn out and wrapped back around her body again like a Christmas present out of a horror movie. She felt her knees give in and come down with a thud into a thick, greyish gravel making small clouds of dust rise up while she started to take in deep, heavy breaths. She coughed and swallowed, noticing how hard it was to actually breathe the air around her. _Is that even air?,_ she absently wondered. She blinked and focused her eyes on her hands until her head stopped feeling dizzy. Then she carefully attempted to stand. Zuriel stood right by her side, gently helping her steady herself.

Her ears were ringing madly still and it caused her to sway as she stood back on her feet. _Have I lost my hearing? The travel… the… flight, it was… fast._ She recalled a heavy push against her ears that felt as if she had broken the baffle. _Maybe we actually did. Sort of..._ Her eyes scanned along her own body. She looked fine. Perhaps a bit shaky still, but other than that, she had no visible injuries or similar. So she wasn't dead. That seemed to be a good thing to be able to say about oneself considering where she was now. Turning her head she saw Zuriel and Amenadiel both stare at her. The dark skinned angel had his massive brown wings outstretched, while Zuriel rolled his shoulders and drew back his slightly ragged looking black pair.

He looked at Amenadiel with an attentive glance. "Go back, brother." he insisted with his deep voice. "Time is running against you in hell." With a nod and a clap onto his pious brother's shoulder, he motioned for him to take off.

It didn't pass unnoticed to Amenadiel, that Zuriel addressed him as his brother, despite his prior dislike towards his not-fallen brethren, Amenadiel himself but also their other siblings. He offered a gentle nod in return, his shape tall and strong, but acknowledging the effort and risk Zuriel was taking on behalf of Lucifer and humanity alike. "Good luck." With one strong flap of his wings he pushed himself off and disappeared into the void between the realms, leaving Zuriel and Chloe behind.

After a moment of gathering their senses and assessing the situation they were now in, the fallen angel's sharp blue gaze drilled into Chloe's with astonishment and veneration. "You are indeed, very resilient, my queen. No wonder why Lucifer picked you." A soft smile tugged at his lips. "I am confident that we will find him."

She couldn't help but respond to his light smile, thankful for the support he gave her. It was when a high pitched shriek tore through the air that she took a first real look around. She let out a desperate shocked gasp when she saw winged beasts flying past them right over their heads. They were broad, as big as a bull Chloe guessed, and had a shape similar to a mammal quadruped, but their bodies were disproportionately muscular. Their legs ended in vicious looking three thick claws and their tail wasn't fluffy, but was covered in scales with a row of spikes along its topside. The big black bat like wings had their outside covered in thick skin like leather and their heads looked as if a werewolf was crossed with a dragon out of the Chinese mythology. Watching them swirl and slither through the air, the creatures, five that Chloe spotted, were zooming in onto something big, black and furry in the distant. That furry thing, she noticed, had three heads and sent out growls that made their surrounding tremble. "What the actual fuck…?" she heard herself whisper, her gaze fixated on the scene about one hundred meters away.

Zuriel bared his teeth in a hiss, but also carried a dark, knowing smile. "Those flying monsters are called Talrooks. They are trying to kill the guardian. They will not succeed though..."

"W-what is that thing they are attacking? That… guardian?" She watched as the three headed furry beast snapped for the Talrooks, fishing them out of the air with a lightning speed, crunching down onto the Talrooks' bodies as if they were his meal.

"That's Lucifer's dog. His hellhound." he answered her flatly. "Cerberus, the guardian of Hell's gates."

 _Cerberus… as in the three headed dog from the Classical Mythology? Again with the Greeks! Maybe their civilization had a special connection to the celestial world, and that's why so much of the celestial realm transpired into their stories..._ As she watched the massive dog mercilessly and skilfully ripping apart the winged Talrooks, she thinks that the idea of them being his meal is not that implausible. Chloe looked around, searching for anything resembling a gate or a passage and frowned. "There are no gates here."

"That's because there are no physical gates." When he saw her confused expression he let out a short, gentle laugh. "Forgive me, my queen, but you are not able to understand every aspect of the celestial world."

Cerberus barked and chewed on the bodies of the Talrooks until he had only severed limbs left spread around on the dusty ground. His heads snapped up suddenly, pointing to their direction. Snarling he began to ran towards them. Zuriel immediately moved in front of Chloe, drawing his sword, prepared to defend her. However though, as Cerberus was about twenty meters away, he slowed down to a soft trot and stopped as he had reached them. He panted and growled lowly, but didn't make the attempt to come closer, let alone jump at them. His three heads shook and stretched and as Chloe thought she had already seen the craziest things hell would come up with during her first moments in the underworld, Cerberus' outer heads began to mold together with his middle head until only one was remaining. His snout twitched and his lips curled back, almost as if he was smiling. He looked… happy. Still keeping his distance and not making a move to close in on them, he licked his snout with his drooling tongue, cleaning it at his best abilities of the remaining blood from the Talrooks.

Curiously, Chloe looked over Zuriel's side at the dog and gasped when Cerberus tilted his head and let out a soft purring sound, orange shimmering eyes looking back at her. "What… what's with him? I thought he might attack us. Isn't he… dangerous?" Chloe asked confused and dared to make a step around Zuriel. With a bark Cerberus began to wiggle its long sharp spiked tail. "He seems… excited. Is that a good thing?"

Zuriel narrowed his eyes in suspicion and stepped closer to the hound. "Cerberus isn't like a dog from earth, you see. He is very smart and capable to understand everything we say to a certain complexity. Yes, he's excited to see us." Reaching out a hand, he held it up to Cerberus nose, which was basically a horizontal stretch for Zuriel since Cerberus was about his own height tall. Carefully Cerberus sniffed at Zuriel's hand and immediately dipped his head under his palm to urge him to pet the dog's massive head. "I thought so... You're still a softy deep within, old boy." Zuriel mused, giving the dog a generous scrub.

After a minute of attention seeking from the angel, Cerberus made two big steps towards Chloe, tilting his head and leaning in, sniffing interestedly. Again his face seemed to light up with appreciation and he swiftly closed the distance to her, nuzzling against her frame, almost knocking her over.

"Careful, Cerberus! Be gentle with her!" Zuriel ordered in a rumbling tone and immediately the dog ceased his pressure against Chloe's body.

She stayed put, surprised more than anything that this huge beast of hell was actually… _nice_ to her. After a moment of hesitation, she moved her hand and swallowed, waiting for the dog to show her whatever he wanted to do.

When Cerberus saw she had lifted her hand, he looked back at her, barked once, leaned his head further in and started licking her hand with affection and dedication, eventually turning her hand into a slippery mess of dog-saliva.

"Oh… ugh… that's… really nice… Cerberus. T-thanks…" As she noticed however that her words seemed to have encouraged him to continue on and on, she eventually pulled away a bit roughly. "Okay, that's enough! I still need the hand."

With a wheeze, Cerberus lowered his head and looked in between Zuriel and her, before barking at the angel and starting to circle Chloe.

Zuriel let out a light laugh. "He senses Lucifer's light in you." he explained, watching the dog. "It's alright, Cerberus. She is Lucifer's mate, which makes her our queen. You are to protect her with your life, do you understand?"

Cerberus let out a bark in agreement, his tongue hanging out his sharp toothed mouth as he inclined his head almost like he was nodding. In a disturbing way he somewhat looked... _cute_. But when Chloe recalled the way Cerberus had just moments ago torn apart several creatures and ripped them limb from limb, her definition of _cuteness_ wavered and she grimaced. On the other hand she was deeply impressed with the dogs understanding of their language and looked at Zuriel interestedly. "How is it he listens to you? I mean.. you know, after having seen what he did to those Talrooks."

"Lucifer made sure that Cerberus' loyalty is granted towards my lords' highest ranked generals, as well. That ensures that I am to give him orders, in Lucifer's absence." He turned towards the vast landscape ahead of them, knowing where they were. There was just one way to go. He could see the shore of the Styx in the distance and motioned for Chloe and Cerberus to come along. "This way, my queen. We need to get into the center of hell and there is only one way to do it with you being mortal and alive." A thick, oppressive moment of silence spread before he continued. "We need to travel with Charon."

* * *

"You were a jealous ass the moment he walked into the room and I greeted him!" Her expression was dark and unforgiving. Every softness in her eyes, every gentleness her features naturally held, was gone and had turned into a vicious grim glare.

He remembered the burning in his chest. The irritation and pressure he felt when he saw her smile and lean in on her new boss. He had seen that look in women's eyes over thousands and thousands of years. It had been the spark of something which would turn into a fire of passion and love that would then quickly destroy the precious flower of their own growing relationship. So he had felt the need to compete against him. To win her heart. Show her that he himself was worthy and the other man was not. "Please… I felt... protective and-"

"Oh you wanted to protect me? From a person who was actually really nice to me?"

Her words cut into him like knives. Lucifer squeezed his eyes shut. No she didn't know Pierce's origin… Cain... what he had done. "You didn't k-know… who he was…"

"Like I had any idea about _you_? You didn't show me your true face, because you were scared like a little boy. But you know what? For good reason! I could never have imagined a monster like you. Everything I read about the Devil… it was a major understatement. In reality you're far worse."

How was he supposed to justify and defend himself? His head was spinning madly, aching from the impact of memories and emotions. "N-no! I'm… I… I tried to… I wanted… to be good… I'm not… I'm not a-"

" _Monster_! Yes, that _is_ what you are. You were right. You're not a _person_ , you're _pure_ evil! Lying, hiding and manipulating!"

"And a murderer." a dark male voice accused him. A broad shape materialized in front of Lucifer. His once green-checkered and now blood soaked shirt still a vivid reminder of what Lucifer had done to him.

"C-Cain-n…? I h-had to s-stop you…" he stuttered in pain and from exhaustion. He had to. There had been no other way for justice. Cain hadn't accepted the gravity of having killed someone, just because it had been an accident. No, Lucifer wouldn't have let him go to heaven. He had to make sure he would go to hell. There were beings throughout history who didn't feel guilty, but that didn't mean they wouldn't go to hell. Sometimes God's guilty-scheme didn't work, because some humans didn't fit into this category. But they couldn't… no, they mustn't be allowed to go to heaven.

"Oh you did. You made sure of that, didn't you? Thrusting that dagger into my chest, grinning as I went down by your hand. Oh, how you enjoyed it..."

His mind was reeling. What had it been that he want at that time? Did he want to kill Cain? Did he want to stop him by viciously murdering him? He desperately tried to remember and to be certain of his feelings, but it was all a blur. "It… wasn't… I didn't… _want to_ … I wanted…" _I wanted… I… I wanted..._

"Yes it _was_ exactly what you wanted. You know why? You couldn't stand what I had with Chloe. You couldn't stand the fact that _I_ made her happy and that she didn't choose you. Do you need a little reminder, maybe?" With a sinister look Cain stepped over to Chloe, pulling her against him and travelling his hands over her sides lasciviously. "We weren't just a fling. We didn't just work together, but also spent our spare time with each other in very delightful ways. I pleased her over and over making her moan my name in bliss all night and day for hours on end."

Chloe's eyes fluttered close, purring at the touch. "Mmm, yes… I loved the way you made me moan, baby. You felt so good, pleasing me in all the right places…" She looked back at Lucifer with a hardening glare, every softness she had just showed towards Cain, now dissolving when addressing Lucifer. "He is the _real_ man of the two of you, Lucifer. You weren't open towards me. You didn't put your trust in me, but only cared about your massive ego and your pitiful daddy issues. Everything always had to be about you. So I chose him. The _man_. Not the monster."

"P-please no… I wanted t-to be t-that man for you… I… I'm sorry I didn't tell y-you… I'm so sorry… please… You have to b-believe me, Chloe…" He begged. Sobbed. _Cried_.

"No… I don't. How _could_ I believe the Devil?" She shook her head at him in distrust and contempt. "Your father was right to cast you out of heaven and throw you into hell to rot there for all eternity. He wanted for you to never hurt a human ever again and now look at what you did. At first you murdered your own brother. And now you murdered a human being."

There was a last flicker of certainty in his mind as he tried shaking his head. "I… I didn't want to kill them... They were… They both wanted to kill you and I-"

She coldly cut him off. "So you killed them _first_! But you didn't just kill your _brother_ , Lucifer… You _ended_ his divine _existence_. You erased him from this world. Forever. You took everything away from him. Even the prospect of an afterlife."

He sobbed. His eyes squeezing shut, trying with all his power to shake away the emotions and images that crashed into him. But he failed. "I… I…" _I did… I ended him… Uriel… By Dad, what have I done? I… I am a monster..._

Chloe's eyes narrowed, her expression condescendingly. "Yeah… you know it is true. Just like with what you did to Cain. You murdered him. You are _evil_ , Lucifer."

"I… I was…" He trembled all over, tears trailing down his cheeks. _I pushed him so he would doubt himself… I made him… go to hell… I… I am evil…_

Raising her arms to the sides, she mockingly displayed towards hell throne room surrounding them. "And so now you're here, back where you belong."

Cain's lips curled up in a malicious smirk. "And it's just like what you said to me when you killed me, Lucifer. You're going to torture yourself with that truth for eternity."

Panting, Lucifer watched as Cain and Chloe both closed the distance towards him, smiling at each other like a happy couple, when, out of nowhere, they both punched forward with their firsts, piercing into his chest. Their skin didn't slice into him physically, yet he could feel their fingers digging into his flesh in a strange metaphysical way, both gripping his heart menacingly until once more the world around him faded into darkness and the illusions disappeared.

* * *

"Why the hell does it take so freaking long?" she panted out of breath, felting sweaty and drained.

"Precisely because it is hell. Time moves differently in hell than on earth." Zuriel explained, looking over his shoulder to check if something was creeping up on them from behind or above. Satisfied that there appeared to be no creatures following them, he turned back to Chloe. The ever so light rustle of his armor, became a monotone tune. "We have only been walking for about thirty minutes. It feels even longer to you though. But on earth merely a minute has passed by."

"It feels like hours. Wait…. what… what does that mean? How much time has passed by since Lucifer was kidnapped?"

"Approximately twenty hours in hell." he responded shortly, taking a right turn at a wide cliff formation.

She suddenly felt her insides twist. Lucifer had been gone for almost a full day already in hell time? What would Gadreel be doing to him? Was he even still…? Clenching her hands to fists she forced the horrible thoughts that crept up in the back of her head away. "Tell me about Gadreel." she said through a tight pressed jaw, rubbing all over her body to get rid of the layer of ash that had started to get stuck on her hair, skin and clothes.

"He's a Princeps. Another form of an angel. His strength comes not only from the divinity inherited inside his wings, but also from the belief in him." he explained to her, his voice heavy from memories of thousands of years ago. "What do you know about Eden and the rebellion?"

Thinking back to the research she had made on what humanity was thinking about the Devil and all sorts of crazy bible websites, she bit her lip, angry at how wrong everyone had done him. "I… I read things from the bible and some websites, but I quickly realized that probably not half of it… if _anything at all_ is true concerning Lucifer. He told me he didn't give Eve the the apple, or… pomegranate. He offered it to her, so she would have a choice to make instead of blindly listening to God without having a clue about her free will. As for the rebellion…" She sighed, kicking away a small rock as she moved, trying to keep up with Zuriel's wide strides. "He didn't really tell me anything…"

Zuriel took a deep breath, thinking back to the beginning of humanity. "Yes indeed, Lucifer merely offered the fruit to Eve. But…" He sighed, perhaps a little regretful. "My lord shouldn't even have been in Eden, you see? Gadreel was ordered to protect Eden's gates. Nothing was supposed to enter or leave without Father's approval."

"You mean… Lucifer had no permission from God to enter Eden?" She pondered. "I imagine he and Gadreel had a pretty interesting chat at the gates then."

He nodded. "Lucifer has always been… different. He challenged not only himself but also everyone around him. And he enjoyed finding out about things. Anything, really. None of his siblings could truly understand him, including me." At a distant memory, a short soft smile tugged at his lips. "He had heard Father talk a lot about his two precious humans, his Adam and Eve, and he caught the mentioning that Eve was _female_ , which was a new concept nobody could grasp yet. So… Lucifer was curious to find out what that meant."

And she figured how _that_ encounter had been going, given how Lucifer was not just a magnet for women, but also didn't hold back on his own attraction towards them. "How did he get past the gates though?"

"Against common belief, where it is said that he snuck his way inside, Gadreel _let_ Lucifer enter, I suppose because he was his brother, but I'm not sure exactly. Anyhow, he opened the gates for him voluntarily, which meant that he himself disobeyed to Father's order." His cold, glowing blue eyes narrowed. "Soon after, Father had given both of them a lecture on their misbehavior. Lucifer was blamed for having tainted and doomed humanity, and Gadreel… well... he was vilified as the one who made it possible and let it happen."

She shivered at the realization. "Wow… I assume Gadreel didn't like taking _that_ blame..."

"No. He was very angry at Lucifer, but just the same at his siblings who began to look down on him. They let him feel their distrust and disappointment towards him. And so he was shunned."

"Just like Lucifer." She breathed, coming to a halt. Her lungs burned. _Okay, human living body walking around in hell - I get it now, why my angel friends were a bit worried._ Her head felt dizzy for a moment, heated up and she had to fan herself some air.

"Yes, but Lucifer was mainly disappointed and hurt, because of our family's reaction. Gadreel however... he was _furious_. When he took note of Lucifer rebelling, he joined in on him." He and Cerberus stopped, observing Chloe for a moment, watching as she caught her breath and gathered back some energy. When she nodded at them after a minute, they fell back into a slightly slower pace. "My lord stood up against Father for his own reasons. He wanted free will. To chose his own way of living. Decide what to do, when to do and how to do it. For the reasons he saw fit. And then be judged for his own doing."

"He is very insistent on free will in general. He never takes away people's choice and is quickly on his heels when someone is trying to take away his. How did the actual rebellion take place?"

It wasn't the most comfortable thing to talk about. If fact, it was probably the most uncomfortable of topics he could think of. But then again, she was his queen. She was a creature created and touched by God. After eons in hell Zuriel could sense the smallest amounts of darkness, and Chloe's presence was the purest he had ever come across. She gave him no reason to _not_ tell her. "Well… Lucifer's defiance towards Father did not pass our siblings unnoticed. Most stood at Father's side. But _some_ were starting to ask questions themselves. They began to think on their actions."

"So you were starting to understand the concept of _choice_?"

"Yes. It might sound naive to you, but you as a human have always had it. You were raised with it. Born with it. _Designed_ with it. We were not. Anyways… Brethren gathered behind Lucifer for their own reasons. Either they had grown envious towards humanity or angry towards their siblings or Father himself. Some sought a solution, not caring if they had to rage war in order to achieve it. Others wanted to obtain it peacefully." His voice dropped slightly from sadness. "Lucifer never wanted to harm his siblings. _Never_. When the day arrived at which Lucifer confronted Father, me and several others stood to his side, but Lucifer only spoke on his own behalf, not for _anyone_ else. He was no leader, nor did he want to be one. He wanted for everyone to be there because of their own decisions." He signed, shaking his head lightly. "Of course Father disapproved. Our… heavenly brothers engaged and a war broke loose. Many angels died on both sides. There have been angels however, who did not kill, but only defended themselves, desperately trying to avoid to smite their own brethren. Such were Lucifer, myself and a few others. As I am sure you have read, Lucifer fought against Michael…"

Chloe took in Zuriel's story, ironically creating an image of angelic beings fighting against each other in heaven, while she was laboriously and completely out of breath stumbling through the vastness of hell. She recalled the lines she read about Michael's and Lucifer's fight. That Lucifer had been defeated. With the context Zuriel gave her however, she quickly put two and two together. "Lucifer only defended himself, but Michael put up with killing him, didn't he?"

His jaw clenched tight as he nodded at her. "Indeed. Michael fought with _all_ his power. He wanted to make Lucifer surrender in order to avoid killing him. He aimed for Lucifer to proclaim his defeat."

She let out a snort and whispered with a stern tone, "Lucifer _doesn't_ give up and bend the knee, handing over his freedom."

"He doesn't." Zuriel agreed quietly with a nod and a thin lipped smile on his face. "And he _didn't_. Father interfered eventually. He cast out all angels that had defied Him. He conveyed power to Michael so he could sent the rebels to hell. Those who have killed in the rebellion, got disfigured and condemned to suffer their own hell. Those who have defended themselves were condemned to walk hell, although many of them have suffered the cruel effects of hell nonetheless. And so ended the rebellion."

"And what about Gadreel?"

"His wings got crippled and he was put into his own hell loop for his punishment, since he had killed during the war. His cell was locked up, to make sure he would not escape, because he didn't feel guilty for what he had done. Over the eons he became more vicious and angry..." He fell quiet then, walking over another of the countless small ashen hills they had passed and finally they had reached the riverbank of the Styx.

She thought on his story for a while. Gadreel had been punished and locked up in a cell for millennia, suffering his personal hell-loop over and over again. Instead though of making him feel guilty and repent, it had infuriated him beyond measure with a raging hatred towards literally everyone: God, his heavenly brothers, his fallen brothers and humanity. There existed nobody who was actually in his graces.

"We're here." Zuriel quietly spoke, nodding towards the river spreading in front of them to a horizon that couldn't be seen.

Chloe swiped her forehead, again brushing over her sleeves. _Damn ash!_ She squeezed her eyes, looking around. Hell's sky could not be compared with the real sky from earth. Hell's sky or ceiling or top, however you would call it, was a thick gray mass, torn apart every now and then through massive red lightnings, that strangely created no sounds at all. Overall hell had been disturbingly quiet so far for a place known to be the epitome of pain and torture. When her eyes however laid onto the massive open river spreading into the endlessness of hell, the silence ended almost instantly. The intensity of the long stretched cries and pained moans sent shivers through her.

"Where… where are those sounds coming from?" She looked over the dark, pitch black water, frowning. She couldn't see a thing past fifty yards.

"That are the souls trapped in the Styx itself." Zuriel stepped at the riverbank, avoiding the water that slowly dipped back and forth. Staring outside onto the river he observed as a thick fog began to materialize on the surface of the water. Hollow, yearningly screams and moans filled the emptiness around them.

 _So basically the Styx is filled with creepy lost souls and we need to cross it. Great!_ Chloe followed Zuriel's gaze into the fog and not soon after, a creaking and cracking sound could be heard coming closer. A shape emerged from the dense fog and revealed an approaching long boat with a tall shape standing in it. She recalled Lucifer explaining the Styx to her. ' _It's the river of hell. You know, the river of the dead with the story of the ferryman that you need to pay in order to cross? That river.'_ She moisturized her lips, realizing they'd sprung open from the dryness of this strange otherworldly biome. The ferryman, she thought. Charon, wasn't that the name Zuriel mentioned? Only now that the boat had come closer, she could see that the corpus of the boat wasn't made out wood, but of all kinds of bones. Ribcages, skulls, arms and legs, all of various sizes. The widest stretch of the boat's belly, she assumed, was made out of some kind of whale ribs, given their size. _Wait, do whales go to hell? No that makes no sense. Hell's for humans only, right? So… holy shit is this the rib cage of a freaking giant?_

The only light source, letting the boat stick out at all from the blackness of the river, came from a lantern at the head prow, emitting a soft but eerie green light. The boat reached the shore with a soft scratching sound as the prow dug into the ashen ground. Bony hands stuck out of the sleeves, holding onto the steering oar. If she would have to describe him for a police report, the average perception of Death in a robe, would have fit quite well, except for him not wielding a scythe but an oar. A low voice, sharp like a needle, echoed from the figure standing tall in the boat, covered fully by a black robe, causing Chloe to inadvertently shiver all over. "Another soul, another journey. Your company on the contrary is a rather exceptional occasion, mortal." The hood tilted towards Zuriel and Cerberus. "Why are you with the human, fallen one?"

"She travels the realm to find Lucifer and bring him back to earth." Zuriel shortly explained and gestured towards Chloe. "I am protecting and assisting her."

Charon let go of the steering oar and folded back his hood, revealing his face. It wasn't however much of a recognizable face staring back at them, but rather a pale, white skull. It's features looked monstrous, reminding Chloe of a vampire with elongated canines and rows of sharp incisors. Charon's jaw seemed to be attached by small amounts of sinew and Chloe could not begin to wrap her mind around how this sort of rotten skeleton was even able to speak. Hollow eye sockets gazed at the Detective and for a moment he appeared frozen, waiting or thinking perhaps. "I shall bring you into the deeper abysses of hell." Charon's sharp dark voice rumbled as he held out his right bony palm towards her. "Pay your price, mortal."

Chloe swallowed. _Fuck. Payment. Right. Wasn't that a coin or something? Damn it! I certainly didn't think of bringing my wallet down to hell, why would I? Would that be even the currency he wants? Could only the ones with a penny cross over the Styx?_ Nervously she balanced from foot to foot, looking at Zuriel, but the angel shook his head towards Charon.

"She is not dead, Charon. She does not _have_ a Pentecostal Coin to pay you with."

The ferryman froze momentarily, the only thing in motion being his robe that occasionally flapped at his arms and at the bottom hem. "Not dead you say?" He hummed, a minute passing by without a response. Then he spoke eventually. "You're _his_ , aren't you? I can sense his divinity radiating off you."

"Yes. That's right." She nodded. Lucifer had explained to her, that people, she assumed this was obviously including demons and all sorts of hellish-whatnot's, would feel that she belonged to him. Seeing how Lucifer had demanded Zuriel to treat her as his queen and comply to her every wish, she now wondered if she could apply his authority as a pressure point. "He made me his queen. Are you serving the Lord of Hell, Charon?"

"Of course, I serve Lucifer." he insisted sternly, a deep odd sound rumbling through him.

"So you are loyal to him and follow his orders. I doubt you wish to have his wrath directed at you, if he finds out you stranded his queen at the edge of hell, isn't that right?"

A moment of silent hesitation spread between them. "I… Of course not. Forgive me, my queen. You may come with me, as do your companions. Just make sure you don't fall overboard into the Styx. No one will be able to pull you out if you do so." With that being said, he stepped back, making room for Chloe, Zuriel and at last Cerberus, who tried his best to snuggle up into the smallest possible pile of fur that his tall frame allowed him to, so that the others had enough space to maneuver.

Zuriel's eyes stared into the distance, focussed and observant of their surrounding. As he leaned at the head prow, Chloe stepped next to him, careful to keep her balance in the softly rocking boat. The thick blackness of the river, felt overwhelmingly oppressive. Carefully she placed her hands on the outer plank on the side, slightly leaning forward to take a closer look. The moans, cries and whimpering sounds coming from beneath them were horrifying. They called out, begged for freedom, to be released from their eternal prison. Blurs of white showed beneath the surface, seeming to come closer every now and then. When she leaned further in, Chloe gasped. With a splash, a white boney hand shot out through the surface, followed by the top of a skull next to it. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed, when the hand took a hold onto her wrist and started to pull.

"Chloe!" Zuriel was quickly at her side and Cerberus sprung up barking excitedly. The angel drew his sword from his back and with one swift slash, the bony arm shattered, making Chloe stumble back and fall on her behind. With hardly a handful of seconds to fully grasp what had just happened, several new arms shot out of the water, clinging onto the boat, clawing at its sides. Cerberus jumped at the hands that pulled further up, pawing and biting at the bones, to rid them off of the boats frame.

"Charon! Since when are the lost ones actually getting up so persistently?" Zuriel called angrily and began to join Cerberus by cutting down onto the hands and arms of the undead.

While the passengers were trying their best to stay safe and keep it from being boarded, Charon himself stood like a rock in the back of the boat, unmoving and unimpressed from the action. "Since the Styx is bleeding through onto the earthly plane. The lost souls try all kinds of things to cross over. Hand me my lantern, my queen!"

Not needing a second call, Chloe maneuvered around her companions and reached to the front prow, unhooking the strangely green glowing lantern. Bringing it to the ferryman she watched as his thin bony hands attached the lantern to the top of his steering oar. Growling out with a roar, Charon rose the oar and thrusted it down into the river. The dim shimmer of the lantern began to brighten more and more, until her retinas felt burning and Chloe had to cover her eyes. A massive blast wave pushed off the oar and ripped the lost souls off the boat with ease, making them disappear back into the darkness of the Styx and only their agonized moans and screams remained to be heard.

Cerberus sent out a vicious growl, continuing to look suspiciously over the surrounding water. Eventually he let out a snuff and looked over to Chloe and Zuriel, who himself sheathed back his sword.

"Thank you, Charon." Chloe nodded at the ferryman with a soft smile.

"No thanks necessary, my queen. I believe I haven't had such excitement in several millennia…" he mused with a low laugh.

"This… was amusing to you?" she exclaimed, irritated and shocked by his reaction.

"Oh, please don't misunderstand me. I am much aware of the gravity of the situation. But, you see, I cannot leave this place, not that I would ever want to. This is what I am made to do. But… at times it can become very tiring and lonely." He returned to steer the boat and sighed. "At least every few centuries the angel of death came by to have a chat, sometimes even Lucifer himself. I've had great talks with him... I like his sense of humor. When you find him, please greet him from me, will you?"

Chloe rose a brow, her anger dissolving at Charon's surprising words. _There was an angel of death? And… Lucifer had chats and made jokes with Charon back when he was actively ruling hell?_ "Erm… yeah. Yeah, sure. I let him know." _When we find him… When we can get out of here again…_ She knew that Lucifer would need to fly them back through the planes since Zuriel couldn't take her and she was sure Amenadiel was having his hands full on earth as well. _No. I promised him I'm going to find him and… and I told him to hold on. He will hold on. He simply has to. Yes... he will be okay._

* * *

 **Yaaay! Again you have proven to yourself that you can make it! You once more endured reading the torture Lucifer is going through. I am aware how hard it is. And I am proud of you! Help is on its way and the rescue team has grown in size!**

 **So much more has been revealed! But there also strange things happening to Chloe... Feel free to throw some wild guesses :D As always, love the feedback. I hope I could transfer the tension and pain both Lucifer and Chloe are going through. Next Chapter on Friday!**


	17. I Ain't Backing Down

I Ain't Backing Down

 **Chapter Title/Song by Music House (Jason Tarver, Hugo Russo & Thomas Greenwood)**

 **Welcome back to a new Chapter! My Beta informed me, that it would be a nice gesture towards my audience, to give a warning towards anyone who might have issues with spiders. So yeah, you've been warned. :D Enjoy the read! :D**

* * *

He was not okay. At all. His head felt like his brain had melted several times and the insufferable crushing and squelching inside his chest had ebbed down to a shallow feeling of detachment. Thick hot blood dripped off his feet onto the ground. The pool it had created over the hours had just reached the pile of his torn jacket and shirt, and slowly began to soak into the woollen fabric.

He was exhausted. Drained. His body and mind had suffered such a tremendous amount of torture, that the pain eventually had become a norm and now that no more additional pain was inflicted on him, he felt an odd sensation of deprivation. As if it wasn't _right_ that he did _not_ feel any pain anymore. He gulped and winced almost out of habit by now. Blinking several times, he breathed flatly until his vision had cleared enough for him to orientate himself.

Inhaling carefully with his raspy lungs, he tilted his head a few centimeters to his left. Grimacing he hissed. The tension in his neck muscles caused his shoulder muscles to react as well, which in turn sent a fresh agonizing pain through him. _Fuck. Having not felt any pain at all certainly had been better. Perhaps I should go back into inactivity…_ But the moment he thought about going still again, resting, he knew the punishers would come back with more vigor and continue their torture even more brutally. So no. Pretending to go inactive to rest was not an option. Besides, he wasn't the kind to sit down and give up. He knew he already had given them the satisfaction of his suffering, but he wouldn't let them take away his free will, his determination. They could strip him off everything else, as much as they wanted. He couldn't care any less. Let them take his clothes. Rip his flesh. Torment his mind with illusions, playing with his feelings for Chloe and the guilt he felt for his actions on Uriel and Cain. They could humiliate him. Burn him. Cut off his wings. Throw him into his personal hell-loop and lock the doors for eons. He would not be broken. He's had it worse. Much worse.

When he had arrived in hell, he had been nothing but a burnt pile of flesh. His feathers, his heavenly robe, his hair, everything had completely burned away during his galactic fall. For what felt like an eternity, he had laid in the ashen dirt, trembling, cold, disfigured and alone. He had been terrified. Utterly and horribly terrified to his core, not understanding what had happened to him, if he was actually still alive, or if this was what death was like. Because how would an immortal know? There had been no one for years, maybe even eons, in the nerve wrecking emptiness of hell until… until the monsters came. After another undefinable amount of time that felt like another eternity in pain and constant combat for his survival, he suddenly had startled from a touch to his shoulder. His brother, Zuriel, had found him, how he was strolling through hell in his Devil form, his once magnificent wings burnt like a miserable pair of crisp chicken wings, dragging along behind him. From that moment on things had changed. Drastically. It had still taken him years, but eventually he had changed hell to his liking, at least as best as possible, and inherited the status as the Lord of Hell.

Willpower. That had always been his greatest strength. No one could make him bend his knee. God had punished him in unspeakable ways, took everything away from him, but still, he had always held onto his willpower to move on. To do something. _Anything_. Because it couldn't get any worse from where he had been. He could only move forward. And so he _did_. Now was hardly any different.

 _Get. Your. Act. Together. You're Lucifer fucking Morningstar!_ He clenched his jaw, swallowing down several times while he let his eyes roam over his surrounding without having to turn his head too much. When he caught sight of the dozens and dozens of ripped and torn feathers laying on the ground, he let out a grunt. _Focus. What else? What do you see?_ Right. There's his clothes. Well, the shredded bits and parts of it at least. His shirt and jacket were both torn in the middle. The once clean and impeccable fabric was now dirty, ripped and soaked with blood, even pieces of his flesh had sprayed onto it from one of the whiplashes of Puriel onto Lucifer's flank. Pushing away the all too vivid memory, he let out a sigh. _There needs to be something_. _Bloody hell! ANYTHING!_ His eyes lit up in anger, fired by his will to break free, to survive, and to find something to help him to end his imprisoned situation.

And that's when he saw it. That little bit of white showing forth from under the pile of his ragged clothes. He gasped. He had put it into the inside of his jacket. It must have fallen out when Gadreel had ripped his clothes off him and tossed them to the side. Blinking he felt the odd sensation of something wet trailing down his cheeks and jawline.

She had made it for _him_. She wanted him to join her because… she _loved_ him. That... tiny, impish, dirty-handed, leg-hugging, puppet-eyed and bewitching little spawn… loved the Devil. And she made him promise to spend Christmas with her and her mother. Her mother… _Chloe_. She had called for him. Prayed to him, even though he still didn't understand how it was possible… she had done so. He remembered the ringing of something that almost sounded like heavenly bells in the back of his mind when her words had entered his thoughts and now he desperately wished he could call out to her, answer her in the same way. He wanted to reach her, let her hear his voice, let her know he was… alive. Yes, she and her daughter counted on that, on him staying alive. On him _holding on_. And since she told him to hold on, this meant that she intended to find him or at least she worked on a way to get him back to earth somehow, right? Maybe she had sent Zuriel, Amenadiel or even Maze to get him. Maybe she had sent them all on their way. Yes. She was clever. She would find a way and that gave him hope.

His stomach cramped when he heard the all too familiar sound of rustling armor and dark laughter slowly approaching. _Focus! How is my situation? Well I am sort of crucified, you could say… Bloody hell… I'm tired. Feeling… exsanguinated of my divinity… The wounds… they're still healing, but… just because of my metabolism… I can feel… my wings are shallow… can't escape this bloody… this… plane._ He tensed his jaw, looking to his right and eying his right impaled palm. He could try to rip his hands free from the hooks. He could try and flap his wings free. Sure, it would tear more of his membrane, but still, he would have the possibility to move. Somewhat. But he didn't feel the strength to even make a pulling move, so how was he supposed to get himself free from all the chains attached to him?

"Hmmm…. look at all thisss deliciousss flesh…" a snake like voice slurred.

Looking up towards the entrance of the throne room, Lucifer watched another one of the punishers slither closer. Lahatiel. His eyes held something within them. That bastard had a glimmer in his eyes because of how excited he was on what he was going to do to the former Lord of Hell and the punisher was aware, that Lucifer knew what that something was.

"How are you doing, brother, hm? Everything healing jusssst nicely I ssssee…"

Lahatiel was certainly the punisher who's deformations through hell had been the most gruesome and grotesque among his brothers. While his overall human structure had stayed the same, his head had turned into something completely different. It was absent of any skin and instead showed a thick leathery structure of muscles and bones in whites and reds. His skull had warped in demonic ways, grown horns in various sizes and shapes from the back of his head over to his forehead and his temples. Where the fallen angel once had a prominent jawline, now was a gaping maw with a long thin tongue that dripped off venom, lapping out in between his only remaining razor canine teeth. Pitch black eyes like spheres stared at him as the corners of his mouth lifted into a twisted grin. There was _nothing_ that reminded of the angel he once had been. He truly had become a monster in every possible way.

"And I see you're still drooling all over the place with your ten inch tongue, Lahatiel." Lucifer spat back with a dismissive laugh. "Ever thought about adjusting the length by cutting it off?" _I'll certainly remember to do that once I get the chance..._

Lahatiel's maw twitched into a grotesque grin. "Still holding on to your jokesss, asss you go down. How convenient. You know… I've alwaysss wondered how you'd tassste."

* * *

This was hell. Literally. Now she got it. All those stupid puns. _Bloody hell! Giving someone hell. Going through hell_ -which obviously she was doing- and even her ' _When hell freezes over'_ comment towards Lucifer. _He said he could arrange that… Really? Could he let it snow? Real fluffy snowflakes? Instead of this damn ash? He doesn't lie, so yeah, sure, why not…._

"Are you alright, Chloe?" Zuriel asked carefully, looking her over.

She blinked and gazed back at him. "Hm? What?"

"You were laughing... in a... strange way."

"Oh." _Well, shit.._. "Sorry. Just… just realized something." she said awkwardly, wettened her lips for the umpteenth time and swallowed with a wince. Hell was fucking dry. And strangely it wasn't 'hot as hell' at all, but cold. Somewhat like the desert at night, she figured. However though, she herself felt hot, so her thoughts drifted to a cold bottle of water right from her fridge. _Real… cold water… mmmh…._

 _How much time had passed? An hour? Two?_ She wondered but quickly scolded herself, because it was just completely irrelevant. She was moving towards the center of hell as fast as she could, but still her mind couldn't keep from screaming at her to _hurry the fuck up_. She licked her lips again with a soft sigh and blinked languidly several times. _Wait… am I tired? How am I tired? No! You cannot be tired! You gotta stay awake! Don't you wanna find Lucifer and get the fuck out of here?_ She stilled in her motion and thoughts for a brief moment, her eyes twitching. _Why the heck am I having a conversation with myself? Shit! Am I going crazy? Maybe hell_ is _having an effect on me. Ugh and I feel so weirdly hot, even though it's quite freezing here. Maybe I'm getting a cold…_

A soft noise echoed in the back of her mind. It felt like something was itching but impossible to reach. _Vah Shul, Chloe. Remember and understand…_

 _Ugh… that word again. Damn it, now I'm talking to myself in third person already…. In my freaking mind! Shit, shit, shit, I cannot lose my mind right now..._ She shuddered and blinked, forcing her focus back on reality. In this case, her being in hell.

Something tickled on her right hand, finally shaking her out of her thoughts. Looking down she saw Cerberus having nuzzled against her hand on the bulwark of the boat. "Oh, hey."

The massive, black furry thing sniffed and let out a deep purr, nudging her with his wet nose. She offered him a soft smile and started scratching him behind his ears. She saw Cerberus glancing over the Styx, his eyes fixed to a spot in the distant. He let out a low, sad wince and leaned his head against her hand.

"He misses Lucifer." Zuriel explained quietly. "It's been a long time since they've seen each other."

"You'll see him soon, Cerberus. We'll find him." Chloe tried to reassure the hellhound and caressed through the fur on his back. Her gaze wandered over the black Styx as well, even though her eyes couldn't penetrate further than a few feet into the fog surrounding them.

It was when a sudden wave of growls tore up the eeriness of hell that their attention was drawn towards their right. Although not able to see further into the distance along the Styx, hell's sky was clearly visible. Whereas this realms' sky had so far been a mixture of black, red and gray, a small part they now looked at, seemed white, forming a circular shape. Gauging the measurements from afar, Chloe guessed it were probably just about ten feet in diameter. More growls could be heard, louder and clearer now, mixed with disturbing shrieks and huffs.

Squeezing her eyes, she shivered, when she noticed about a dozen figures racing through the air above them. Oddly, she couldn't make out any form of wings that could make her understand how they were able to fly. Their heads held no facial markers at all, but consisted of three triangularly aligned holes (mouths perhaps?), that were emitting a cyan glow. Thin limbs were attached to a massive piece of flesh that appeared to function as a torso. Instead of hands or anything that could be used as such, the creatures had one thin red-tinted claw, that reminded her of the fangs of a mantis. And while their upper thighs looked somewhat comparable to that of a human, the overall anatomy of the leg was completely different. It consisted of not just an upper and lower thigh, but also a third part, that was much longer and leaner, ending in slender lizard-like feet.

Chloe watched with a decent amount of caution as the creatures made their way towards the white spot in the sky. The hellish monstrosities dashed against the white, that suddenly rippled as if it was the surface of a lake and someone had just thrown a stone inside. The beasts began shrieking louder, aggravated and slammed against the white again and again, clawing at it, pushing and smashing their bodies at it.

"What are they doing?" she breathed out, her eyes wide and unable to look away from the bizarre scene in the sky.

Charon's skeleton head raised to look up. "Ah yes… that is one of the breaches where hell's creatures try to get through."

She frowned. "I thought it's the Styx that's bleeding through. Shouldn't they want to throw themselves in the water of the Styx then to try to get to earth?"

"The Styx influences everything in its proximity. The landscape at its shores as well as the sky above. Some breaches therefore appear inside the Styx itself, some on the landscape and some in the sky. This would be one in the sky, my queen."

"Oh, okay…" she breathed, gasping when she saw suddenly one of the beasts slipping into the white, disappearing. _Fuck… Did this thing just…? Did it get through? Holy shit and this is happening all throughout the area of the Styx?! This was one disgusting abomination from hell of a group of ten. So how hard is it for them to somehow break through? How many already did? How many of hell's monstrosities had already managed to get to earth? Was earth even still alright? Is Trixie alright?_

She thought again about the time and how it was passing in hell compared to earth. Hell time, while it felt deadly monotone and slow, was actually running fast compared to earth. So on earth actually not that much time was passing by, while she made her nerve wracking, dehydrating, mind-wrenching and physically impossibly exhausting journey through hell. It made sense that Zuriel had wanted for Amenadiel to hurry back to earth, so that time would be on his side again. It certainly was much easier to fight back whatever creature managed to come through to earth, instead of trying to hinder hell's monsters to even attempt to get through.

She bit on her lip and looked back over the Styx into the fog. "How much further?" she breathed with a light tremble in her tone.

"We are here." Charon replied, lifting a pointy finger. The fogs' density decreased until it had faded completely, revealing a strange black rocky structure in front of them. The boat docked with a quiet splash of waves and Cerberus was the first to jump off onto the land, shortly followed by Zuriel climbing off and holding out a hand to Chloe.

"Thanks for the ride, Charon." she said as she carefully stepped off the boat, glad to have firm ground beneath her again and not a pitch black river filled with hungry lost souls.

"You are most welcome, my queen. It was my pleasure. Again, I am sorry I cannot help you any further, but I am bound to the river in an indivisible way. I would like to say 'see you soon', but I guess I would rather not like that to happen. So be safe on your way and good luck." Charon inclined his head and softly pushed the boat off the shore with the steering oar, leaving the unusual trio behind at the entrance to hell's center.

Inhaling deeply, Chloe took a look around. While behind them laid the endless Styx, before them arose massive black structures in cylindrical shapes, spreading up in a single entrance to get deeper into the unknown.

"Well… I guess there is just one way to go from here." Chloe murmured, watching as Cerberus took the lead and trotted a few steps ahead into the small path in front of them. She reached out curiously as she kept up the pace with Lucifer's giant dog, stroking over the black stone cylinders. "What is this?"

"It's mostly brimstone, black diamond and obsidian." Zuriel explained. "We are in hell's' center realm now. This is where the condemned are located."

She swallowed. Black diamond and obsidian… and raining ash. Lucifer had been right. This was literally what the center of hell was made out of, so they certainly weren't rare materials here. "This is where bad humans end up eventually?"

Zuriel looked at her with a calculating expression. "Yes. As I said, most condemned souls are here because of their own guilt over what they did during their lifetime. Some however do not feel guilty despite their atrocious actions. Those are kept in the tombs that are locked from the outside."

The structures to their sides reached up to fifteen perhaps twenty meters, Chloe estimated. When they turned the first curve she gasped at the sight in front of her. The seemingly endless path had various tombs carved into the stone to their left and right side. The tombs all looked differently, although they did have the typical appearance of a graveyard mausoleum, with decorations of angels, flowers and gargoyles around the doors. Chloe strode along the grueling and oppressive path, feeling however as if her mind was gently tugged and wrapped in blankets. Something was calling her to follow, was guiding her. Her steps became faster, wider, more eager. She didn't hear the curious call from Zuriel as she even overtook Cerberus. Door after door she left behind her, continuously feeling that strange pull until eventually she reached a gate to her right side. It looked strangely modern, while its outer construction was pretty much like the other tombs around. A soft glow emitted from it as she noticed the door was actually standing slightly ajar and there was a strange humming vibe lingering in the air around. Staring wide-eyed, expectantly but also hesitantly, she began pushing the door open.

A fierce metal grip closed on her wrist, making her snap out of her trance. With still glassy eyes she looked up to her side. "Don't." Zuriel said grimly in a warning, deep voice. "If you go in, you will most likely not get out on your own. You would need my help."

However tight Zuriel's grip onto her wrist was, the door slid open nevertheless and Chloe could look inside. For a moment her brain felt stuck like a disk, scratching at a few tunes over and over again, before snapping back on track. "What…?" she breathed in disbelief.

Zuriel grumbled at her side, his look darkening. "Something isn't right with this one. The door was open…" He frowned. This was not how doors were supposed to be in hell. Either they were locked or locked and chained. This door should have been simply locked. And there was also this strange vibe that he picked up just like Chloe.

"Hello? Please! Help me!" a weak male voice suddenly called from inside the tomb. "I don't think that I should be here! Get me out!"

"That is pretty much every human's presumption… Although no human's doors should be ajar like this one has been..." Zuriel exchanged a disturbed look with Chloe, before he pushed himself in front of her. He could tell she wanted to investigate and he was intrigued to do the same. Something here was just not right. "Stay behind me." he instructed her and stepped inside.

Chloe nodded and cautiously followed him, her pulse starting to rise yet again from the fear of the unknown that laid ahead.

"Hey! I'm here! Please! Help me! Please get me out… Oh god… It's starting again!" the voice desperately called again.

The inside of the tomb turned into a completely different setting than what Chloe's mind had tried to come up with. She had thought that there would be all sorts of gruesome sick medieval torture methods, but this was certainly not what she had expected. "What the…" She was not going to ever feel like saying that hell phrase any longer. So she just gaped at the sight, shivers rushing through her body like small tremors.

As they stepped through the door into the crypt, the world around them turned into a dark massive cavern. The air smelled thick and moldy and Chloe spotted several small areas around with piles of fungi growing, but they looked nothing like the ones she had ever seen before: They were bulky and emitted an odd blue glow, lighting parts of the cave in a mystical azure. The cave's gray rock walls, that provided a rather stark contrast to the brilliance of the fungi, were covered with thin white stripes like threads and Chloe had to think back to a cave she had explored with her dad when she was out on a hiking weekend with him. It had been inhabited from bats taking up the cave's ceiling, and she remembered how her hands had slipped along the wall to stabilize herself, but brushed through something white, wavy and sticky...

She frowned, her eyes adjusting to the semi-darkness inside the cave. Zuriel in front of her, didn't seem to have any insecurity about the surrounding, but was rather looking straight ahead at a fixed point. _Right… he probably has the same superhuman eyesight like Lucifer…_ Swallowing, she blinked a few more times and was eventually able to see more details of her surroundings. Her eyes traveled over the walls of the cave. She turned a full circle, her heart beginning to thunder. The white thin stripes were everywhere. And then she saw the white woven bags piled along the corners of the cave. _Holy Christ on a fucking cracker with sugar topping, please don't let this be real..._ "Z-Zuriel…" she pressed out in a tensed tone. _No. Nope… no no no… Any crazy guy chasing me would be better than this._

"Oh god! Please! Aaaargh! Nooo!" the male voice screamed in agony, sobbing and crying. "No! Aargh! They're doing it again! Help!"

She couldn't see him yet. _Oh fuck I really don't even wanna know… Please… just let me be wrong…_ Small crackling and rustling sounds echoed through the cave and were starting to overlay, getting louder, more intense. She immediately realized that there was not _one_ thing that created these sounds. It was more than one. Many more! "Zuriel?" she breathed again, reaching out to his plated shoulder, when a wave of rattling made her flinch and turn to the right. A brown mass of small eight legged spiders flooded in from the side of the cave, startling Chloe with a shriek and making her step back.

"It's not dangerous for you Chloe." Zuriel carefully spoke to her, his eyes still staring ahead.

"Easy for you to say… Ugh… I hate those damn things…" She shivered, watching as the flood of tennis-ball sized spiders crawled like a collective in front of them into the darkness.

"Who are you, human?" Zuriel called out towards the man sobbing and screaming somewhere in the blackness.

"Please… aaaargh! Make them stop!" Grunting and groaning sounds of desperation and agony filled the cave, mixing with the disturbing sounds the spiders seemed to create with their legs and claw-y mouths. "Aaahh! They're eating me!"

Zuriel's eyes lit up with an angry blast as he stepped into the darkness with wide strides, the blue shimmering of his eyes emitting slightly more light into the cave. "What is your name, human!?"

"T-T-Thomas H-Hill… Aaargh!"

Chloe frowned, her fear of the disgusting eight legged crawlers vanishing in an instant when her mind was screaming at her. " _Father_ Thomas Hill? The priest?" she asked unsurely.

"Y-yes! Please! Arrgh! Get me out!" the man groaned back. "Oh God.. no… no not my face… not my ears…!"

A bone chilling scream tore through the cave and ended soon after. Zuriel turned back to Chloe and took a hold on her arm. "We need to leave." he muttered as he started pushing her back to the exit of the cave.

"Wait! We have to get him out! He isn't supposed to be here! He was somehow brought here, not by his guilt! I bet that the other priests are here, too..." Chloe tried to free herself from Zuriel's hold, but couldn't stop the angel who was pushing her out like she weighted nothing.

"That might be the truth, Chloe, but we cannot simply get him out of this room. It is not possible for us to get him out and then somehow bring him to heaven where he might deserve to be."

"Why not?!" she hissed as they exited the crypt back into the labyrinth of hell-loop tombs, meeting back with Cerberus, who gently nuzzled against her in attempts to appease her. "The priests were innocent. Gadreel has done something to them with that symbol and now they are here instead of heaven."

"You cannot help him or the other priests you speak of, if they _died_. Once the living essence is gone from a human's body and you have entered hell, you cannot come back as the same person. You would return _insane_ , and that is put very mildly." he explained to her intently, before softening his tone. "All we can do now, is continue our way and find Lucifer. We need to stop Gadreel and fix the breaches of the Styx."

She ground her teeth and scrubbed over Cerberus' massive head, who growled quietly in approval. "You're right… We _have_ to get to Lucifer."

They continued moving on in silence through the endless pathways of countless tombs. The moans and screams from the lost souls in the Styx laid far behind them in the distant and now the only sounds came from themselves. Their footsteps echoed along the path, occasionally mixing with a soft growl from Cerberus or the growl of Chloe's own stomach. The scenery was merciless. Dull. Maddening, in a way. Without even being stuck in a hell-loop, hell itself was… hell. She couldn't imagine having to be in this place for months or years or… eons. There was no doubt, this place would turn you into something else. It would break and change you...

She shook her head with a sigh, whispering. "I can't believe He actually did this to him. This is just… so… appalling."

Of course Zuriel knew who she meant with 'He' and 'him'. "Well… you're certainly not the only one thinking like that."

"I wish I could have a word with Him, you know? From parent to parent." She scoffed. "There can be no reason, no grand plan, _nothing_ , to make what He did to him worth it or to somehow make it _right_. It just wasn't." She brushed her sleeve over her face to wipe her tears away. "You simply don't do that to your child."

* * *

The two inch long teeth ferociously sunk into his lower left arm which he endured grunting and groaning. Lahatiel's poisonous mouth let out a muffled snicker as he injected his toxins into Lucifer's system. He could feel it rush into his veins at high speed, feeling as if someone had injected liquid fire. He let out a desperate cry. Unable to keep still, he trembled and began to twitch and wiggle, the hooks attached to him tearing at his flesh. But the poisons' pain was different than the one from the hooks. It was burning and affected his mind, too.

Lahatiel pulled away with a tainted grin in his demonic visage, watching as Lucifer panted and twisted in his fastening. He used his long tongue to joyfully lick over his teeth, savoring the taste of Lucifer's blood.

The burning kept on an on, rushed into his every muscle, every cell feeling like it wanted to explode and tear him apart from the inside. Lucifer clenched his teeth, snarled and growled. He felt like going mad. He _was_. Screaming again with all the force his lungs managed to support, his muscles tensed heavily, trembling and causing his wing muscles to twitch with force as well. As a result the spikes that were plunged through his membranes were ripping at his flesh, causing fresh gashes of blood to trail down along his wing bone and over his back.

The punisher observed the viciously swirling and twisting Lucifer with a slight concern creeping up. The Devil was quite strong, despite his position. Despite the pain he had endured. Despite the lack of divinity. And Lahatiel wasn't sure what Lucifer was capable of, but he sure as hell didn't want to find out. He needed more control over the Devil, before he was actually breaking free in a rage. Lahatiel was aware, that Lucifer could potentially also die from what he was doing. The pain he and his brothers inflicted on him was calculated. They knew exactly how much the hollow shell of an angel could endure, since they had all experimented this over eons on their own fallen and captured siblings in the farthest corners of hell. Now that Lucifer was drained off his divinity, his body could only heal so fast. And with Lucifer being in this condition of blind wrath, he could potentially hurt himself so much that he would die, which for Lahatiel meant, that he couldn't torture him any longer. A circumstance he and his brothers wanted to stretch on for a very long time. "Shoftiel!" he called out through the hall, observing as Lucifer frantically ripped on his chains.

Moments later, his brother entered the throne room. "What the hell's going on with him?" Shoftiel exclaimed angrily, coming to a stop once he reached the height of Lahatiel.

Lucifer was literally seeing red. His body was completely on edge. The poison inside his veins was excruciating and made him go completely berserk, tossing and pulling as he screamed and snarled like a furious beast. His palms and shoulders were starting to tear slowly but surely with every pull he made.

"I jussst had sssome fun with him. Nothing ssserious. Jussst give him sssomething to calm down again, will you?" Lahatiel hissed.

Shoftiel grumbled and moved in on the Devil. "Actually I thought I had my fun with you for today… You know… I still am taking care of other prisoners… But of course it is a pleasure to spend some more time on you." He raised a palm towards Lucifer. Soon thin violet translucent waves emitted from his palm and crushed onto Lucifer's body like shockwaves.

As the magic of Shoftiel entered him, the red blur in front of Lucifer's eyes darkened and faded and the boiling inside him decreased. He panted heavily, his eyes staring widely into nothingness, but the blind rage ceased and his wailing and tossing stopped. The world around him began to dissolve as his pulse began to slow down within the minute until eventually it was flat and calm.

"Why didn't you jussst throw an illusssion at him like the onesss you did earlier?" Lahatiel purred, his tongue twitching, as if it was an expression of his curiosity.

"The illusion wouldn't have immobilized him enough. Just wanted to be sure he's not going to tear his own limbs off. Next time, be more careful with your poison Lahatiel!" Shoftiel grunted, his yellow eyes glowing up for a moment before he turned around again, leaving. "He's going to be out for at least another hour. You can have your fun with him later. Just don't go overboard with your poison again. I want to be able to torture him for the next couple millennia. Can't do much when just a pile of flesh is leftover from him." With that, Shoftiel exited the throne room, disappearing into the depths of hell.

"Well too bad, really. I thought I could have sssome more fun with you. But it looksss like I have to wait…" Lahatiel slurred watching Lucifer for a few more moments, before he eventually left the Devil back to himself.

* * *

"How do we know we're even on the right path?" she asked, watching as Cerberus took a right turn a few meters ahead of them. Chloe had no idea that hell would be like a labyrinth and that the hell-loop-crypts seemed to be scattered so chaotically all over the place. She had lost count on how many turns they took and couldn't picture herself at all in this endless ashen realm.

"Cerberus is the best hellhound there is. He can smell Lucifer all throughout hell. His hearing and smelling is better than ours. Much better."

Suddenly Cerberus began to snarl and bark and in an instant his shape became a blur, dashing ahead and out of their view. "What's he up to?" she nervously asked, increasing her speed with Zuriel to catch up. But Cerberus was fast. Before Zuriel was able to respond to her, Cerberus' growls echoed loudly through the corridors and it sounded like he was engaged in something. In a black swirl, Zuriel dashed forward around Chloe, drawing his sword in the process. He was out of her sight within the blink of an eye, leaving her irritated and speechless behind as she tried to catch up with both of her companions.

The hellhound snarled, barked and panted heavily as it sounded like he was snapping and tearing something. Chloe heard Zuriel shout something in a weird language that didn't sound like anything she ever heard before. The tones were shimmering in a million ways, overlaying on top of each other and she was convinced that a humans vocal cords weren't even able to create such sounds. A metal clanking and slicing rattled and another male voice echoed back the path towards her. It was the same type of language but this one sounded oddly sinister and vicious.

When she finally reached the action, Chloe stopped dead and rested against the left side of the stone alley, observing as Zuriel and Cerberus were engaged in a fierce battle with someone, no… some _thing_. His appearance hinted at that of a man, yet he was utterly grotesque. His upper body was deformed and overproportional, like that of a pumped and drugged up bodybuilder. His left arm was covered with thick spikes that were at least three inches long while his right arm seemed to have made a horrifying symbiosis with a silvery armor plating.

Zuriel slashed out in a turn, his movements being agile and precise, yet this monster of a man seemed to easily evade him. Cerberus managed to catch onto the man's plated arm, but was pushed off with a vicious blow to his ribs. The dog yelped and let go as he was flying off several feet, smashing against the walls of this hellish graveyard. Growling and sniffing, Cerberus quickly got back up on his feet and shook his head, making it swiftly separate into three big heads, all barking, snarling and snapping back at the attacker, trying to sink his three terrifying jaws into the man.

Still trying to stay in a hidden position, Chloe instinctively pulled out her gun from her holster, although doubts of the usefulness of a human made weapon in hell quickly troubled her mind. _Is this even going to work? Fuck, I hope it's not going to explode in my hands… will it actually have an impact on him? Zuriel didn't even had a bump in his armor when I shot at him…_ She unlocked the safety and aimed, pressing herself as flat against the wall as possible. _Shit they are all just moving like freaking whirlwinds! Just… slow down once! I cannot even aim correctly like this!_

Zuriel suddenly roared out in a rage, his eyes blazing up with ice blue flames. Again he spoke something in the strange language, his massive black-reddish wings emerging from his back. The pathway was hardly wide enough for him to fully spread them, but that's when Chloe noticed that he wasn't actually going to use them in their original way. He didn't mean to fly with them. He was going to _fight_ with them. _How the fuck is that even possible?!_ She watched as Zuriel swirled around, the tips of his wings pointing out, slicing the air and as he brushed against the walls, the feathers cut through them like butter, leaving deep marks in the black stone. That move was making the monstrous looking man stumble back, giving the now three headed Cerberus the advantage of an exposed back. With a big jump the hound had sunk his claws into the attackers back and used his jaws to viciously chew onto the man's shoulders and neck.

"Cerberus. Enough! Drop!" Zuriel eventually growled.

Almost sounding grumpy, Cerberus let go, harrumphed and licked his mouths that dripped from the man's blood. Lowering her gun, Chloe leaned forward a bit, observing the man on the ground closely. He seemed pretty defeated. Torn up from Cerberus massive teeth. The man grunted, coughing blood, unable to move as Cerberus made sure to press down on him with his full weight. Grimly Zuriel stepped in front of the man's head, his long, elegant sword shimmering. Chloe now clearly heard Zuriel speaking with a low, threatening voice as he shifted his sword in front of the attackers eyes.

"Dys mor yl voh fus?" he hissed, pushing the edge of the sword against the man's neck.

The words sent shivers down Chloe's spine, making her press back against the wall. She realized it was the same tune of language she had spoken subconsciously. But she couldn't understand what they were saying now.

"Ven gaar nos…. Faas ruh maar." The creature barked, spitting blood, laughing.

Zuriel let out yet another growl and with a sickening sound, his sword cut through his opponent.

He drew back his wings, wiped his sword clean, sheathed it to his back again and motioned for Cerberus to come along towards Chloe. "Are you alright?" he asked, taking in her appearance.

"W-what… what was that?" She swallowed, securing her weapon and stepping out of her cover.

"His name was Kushiel. A fallen brother, but… as you have seen, there is nothing angelic left of him. He was punished additionally by being disfigured. He was a very cruel torturer…"

"What did you and him say in your angel language?"

"I have asked him about Lucifer's location. He told me that he is where the king of hell belongs. In his throne room."

This was odd. "Why did he tell you this?" she asked, frowning as a thick lump in her throat built up.

"Probably because he doesn't think we can get him out of there as it will most likely be protected from his other punisher brothers."

"And h-how many of those punishers are there?"

"There are six left now."

* * *

 **Ah yes, I am a horrible person for letting you wait so long. But there will be a reunion in the next Chapter. I promised it and I keep my word. The Chapter is already** **prepared** **and gets released on Tuesday :)**

 **I'm curious however, was anyone getting a bit of goosebumps from the spiders? Haha, it just really surprised me when my Beta mentioned it. I wouldn't even have thought about it. :) If you were unaffected by it, that's fine, too. :D  
**

 **Also I wanna mention a special thanks to Cengiz, who's currently beta-reading my chapters. Much love to you!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this Chapter! I appreciate the feedback! I love to read and respond to your comments :) Until Tuesday!**


	18. Slow Farewell

Slow Farewell

 **Chapter Title/Song by Extreme Music**

* * *

He fumbled a last time with his tie, putting it into perfect condition, before using the doorbell. The chime was short, but certainly loud enough to be noticed over the joyful music humming inside. His left hand rose behind his back, hiding the bouquet of roses, while subconsciously his right hand slid back into his pants' pocket, turning a small velvet box around again and again.

 _I don't need to hang my stocking_

 _There upon the fireplace_

He licked over his lips and swallowed, eying the apartments laying to the sides. Everyone was at home, lights shining, increasing the overall brightness of the city to probably its highest stand throughout all the year. Earth certainly would make a good star right now, he thought with a light smile on his lips, when suddenly the door in front of him opened and his heartbeat instantly made a jump, threatening to give him a stroke. Surely it would be possible somehow right now, being close to her.

His eyes stared irritatedly ahead, to his disappointment not meeting a pair of grey-blue eyes. The excitement in his eyes, the nervous but happy smile on his lips turned into wonder. Nobody actually stood at the door. Nobody had opened him. Frowning he entered, a painful heaviness forming in his guts. He quietly dropped the bouquet on the dresser and stepped into the open kitchen and living room area. Red and white candles were positioned on the window ledges, tiny light cords hung along the walls and there was a sweet mixture of scents lingering in the air. Cinnamon, anise, fir and incense. He could make out the delicate light scent of vanilla as well, but there was also something else. Metallic, thick. His pulse was thundering in his ears.

 _Santa Claus won't make me happy_

 _With a toy on Christmas day_

Stepping closer, he saw the tree in the corner, sweetly decorated with various little charms, bulbs, glitter and hand made decorations, probably made from the little spawn, he thought. It gave the room a nice atmosphere and a sense of completion. But there was still an eerie vibe laying on top over all of what he took in. It was when he walked over to the couch that he noticed a tiny hand looking forth from behind. The fingers were slightly curled and little sprinkles covered it. His eyes widened in shock at the realisation and he dashed around to find his dark presentiment verified. He felt sick. Her slender neck was covered in blood. Small fearful brown eyes gazed ahead into nothingness, all joy and life viciously ripped from the small human being. _No. No no no no, this can't be! No! What- But- But she's just… just a child… she's Innocent…. How could You let this happen, You bloody bastard!?_

 _I just want you for my own_

 _More than you could ever know_

His eyes burned from the impact of emotions, his chest felt too tight to let him breathe properly. With a hole stabbed into him, his body stumbled until his side rested against the door to the back porch. A cold rush of wind brushed against him, making him turn to notice the door he leaned against was pushed open a few inches. Numbly, he fully opened the door and stepped outside, the wooden planks creaking beneath his careful footsteps. The music from inside faded as he stepped towards the old fashioned rocking chair. He could see a slender arm resting on the side. The fingernails were painted in a soft discreet cream color and the fingers… they held onto something small and shiny.

 _Make my wish come true_

Stepping closer, his breath trembled, when he saw a piece of jewelry he had given to the one person who he felt true devoted love for. A necklace with a swatted bullet. His jaw clenched as he tried to not fall apart, while his feet carried him around the chair. His eyes reluctantly raised to look at the person sitting in it and they burned yet again, thick salty droplets trailing down his cheeks. His throat closed up and his heart broke apart. Her grey-blue eyes stared into the nothingness of the night with a soft glassy white haze. He sank to his knees with a thud. _No… No this can't be happening… Chloe! This can't be… no no no Chloe!_ He sobbed and cried her name over and over in devastation. Reaching to her limp head, he caressed her cheeks, shook her lightly, but she wouldn't move. The shaking caused the delicate necklace to slide from her fingers to the ground. He felt destroyed. Emptied. As if his heart had just been scraped out with a spoon. He suffered through his loss, minutes turning to hours and it felt endless.

 _All I want for Christmas is you_

He blinked...

Standing at her doorstep, nervousness began to creep up inside him. This was it… he had made a deal with the tiny wicked hellspawn and he was holding up his end of the bargain. Not that he really needed much convincing, since he would get to spend this special day with the two people that meant most to him. A soft tune hummed from the inside of the apartment.

 _I don't need to hang my stocking_

 _There upon the fireplace_

Moisturizing his lips he reached to his tie a last time, prepping it to perfect display. One hand reached into his pocket, while with his other he finally pressed the bell, waiting. His eyes glanced to the sides, taking in the Christmas decorations in front of all the apartments, all the lights bathing the area into various colors. _Earth is up to compete with my stars during Christmas time_ , he thought smiling. The door opened with a squeak and his smile dropped a notch. There was no one there. Irritatedly he stepped inside, the mixed up scents of various ingredients filling his nostrils...

 _Santa Claus won't make me happy_

 _With a toy on Christmas day..._

* * *

They had reached an end of the labyrinthine crypt system, spreading to a big open space that led towards a massive construction. It was covered with sharp arced spikes like barbwire. It looked like a deeply terrifying fortress and it was instantly clear to Chloe that this was it. This had been Lucifer's place of never-ending punishment. This had been his own hell, right in the center of hell itself. His prison. Not his home.

Cerberus began to wiggle his tail, whine and sniff, nudging Chloe and Zuriel, before staring ahead.

"He's in there." Zuriel said, trying to see if he caught any movement outside. When he noticed Chloe starting to move forward, he quickly held her back. "Hold on here, Chloe. We gotta be careful. I'm not sure whether they are in there or not. We could be running right into their arms."

She halted and looked back at him, eagerness and nervousness making her tense and want to sprint right in. But Zuriel was right. They needed to be smart right now and not get caught last minute. "Could Cerberus go ahead and find out where they are?"

"Yes, certainly." He looked over at her for a moment, thinking. "Also we need some distance between the punishers and you. The light you carry, would certainly draw their attention if you get close enough for them to pick up on it." When she nodded in agreement, he turned to Cerberus, speaking to him in his angel language. The dog barked quietly, touched both their hands with his three snouts and ran off towards the fortress.

Chloe observed the dog running up to the building and sniffing intensively. He raised his heads, looking back at Chloe and Zuriel for a moment before returning to his scent hunting. With a wiggle of his tail, he seemed to have found something and immediately began racing off to the right, into another pathway of the crypt labyrinth.

"What is he up to? What did you tell him?"

"He'll track them and will keep them busy at a distance for as long as he can. Come on. Let's go."

They made their way swiftly over to the heavy and intimidating entrance doors, a mixture of metallic, wooden and stone structure with big doorknockers. They were no doubt far too heavy to ever be moved just an inch by a mortal. Without hesitation Zuriel leaned forward, placed his palms against each doorside and pushed open the entrance doors with ease. What greeted them inside was nothing short of nightmarish. Since Zuriel stood before Chloe, he was the first to gasp at what was impossible to be missed, hanging several feet above the ground in direct display. A shiver ran down his spine as he took in the sight in front of him. Making a step inside and lowering his arms, Chloe quickly moved to his side, her heart thundering with nervousness. As her eyes caught the Devil however, her heart immediately felt as if it was torn straight from her chest with bare hands.

"No… no… Lucifer?! LUCIFER!" Crying she rushed past Zuriel and ran along the trail of the red carpet leading to the throne at the end of a short flight of stairs.

She sobbed taking in his sight. He didn't seem to move. _Oh my go-… no… no no no no! He can't be dead! I told him to hold on!_ His eyes were closed, his skin covered in thick trails of blood, sweat and gruesome wounds of various shapes and intensity. As she raised her eyes further, she had to cover her mouth, muffling a louder cry and sob when she saw the hooks. His shoulders, his wings, his palms. _Holy shit, what have they done to him!? How sick are those monsters?_ She stood at the height of his legs, unable to reach up further. Gently she took a hold onto his legs, his black dress pants torn and only remaining on him in pieces. "Lucifer! Lucifer wake up!" she tried, but his eyes stayed close.

Zuriel took in the sight of his lord as well. He had a pretty good understanding of what Lucifer might have been forced to endure, when he saw the wounds and how his wings looked ruffled and plucked. He hissed as he took note of the spikes being plunged through his wing membranes. This would have been particularly tormenting. He took a deep breath and checked the chains Lucifer had been attached to, seeing he had been outstretched onto a system of pulleys. The chains went off to the left and right side of the throne area and were connected to the very architecture of the hall to be secured. "I'm letting him down one chain after another. First his hands and wings." he called over to Chloe. He checked the connections on the left side first and broke free the safeguard on the chain connected to Lucifer's palm. The chain rattled along the stoney structure leading Lucifer's arm to drop to his side.

This was sickening to the core and made her sniff and cry. She gritted her teeth and swallowed, trying her best to hold back the bile that gathered in her throat. "Careful, Zuriel! Please!" She reached up, just about tall enough to encompass his hand without too much difficulty. With trembling fingers she turned his palm towards herself and had to swallow hard, forcing down another load of rancid vomit that had crawled up her throat at the horrible sight of the metal hook pierced through Lucifer's hand. She took hold of the back of the hook, closed her eyes and with a swift, curved pull, removed the blasted thing from Lucifer's limp body. He didn't react. Fresh hot blood rushed out of the wound and over her fingers, and only now did she notice how cold his hand felt. Shocked, she immediately tore at her sleeve, ripping it in two long stripes to improvise a bandage. Carefully she wrapped the fabric three times tightly around his bleeding palm, tying it up with a knot.

The chains rattled again and rumbled over the stone beam above Lucifer, dropping to the ground with a heavy clunk. His wing twitched and immediately folded down loosely in a slightly twisted way, not being supported by any muscle activity. Chloe frowned and bit her lip, watching as Zuriel hurried to the other side of the throne room and a moment later Lucifer's other arm dropped to his side. She repeated her treatment on his other palm, removing the hook and attending to his wound with as much care as she could given the circumstance.

She suddenly heard a soft slurring grumble and her eyes widened. Staring up at Lucifer's face, she could see his eyelids fluttering tiredly. His brows pinched in pain and he grimaced with a weak groan.

"Lucifer! Hey! Hey… wake up! I'm here, Lucifer. It's gonna be okay…" She assured him and herself.

His eyes stayed open, but looked glassy and disoriented. "Pl's 'op… d'n't..." His voice sounded horrible hoarse and worn out.

"What? I don't understand, Lucifer." she responded with a strained voice, shortly glancing over to Zuriel, who just released the other wings' chain from its holding. Chloe watched as Lucifer's wing flinched and dropped to the same position like his other had done before.

He groaned, his head rolling faintly before hanging limply again, his eyes falling shut once more.

"No no no! Lucifer, stay awake!" Chloe called him, gently shaking him by his legs. "Come on! Wake up! Look at me! Lucifer!"

Moments passed by with Lucifer not responding at all. His body hung motionless and her chest compressed achingly. "Come on Lucifer! Wake up!" She shook him again, harder this time. The chains rattled, making her feel more sick to her stomach if that was even possible. All she wanted right now, was to grab him and get him out of here; away from these monsters who did such horrific things to him she didn't even want to imagine, and away from this awful place. Out of hell and back to earth. Even though she didn't know how it currently was up there, it definitely was safer than down here. The problem just was, she didn't know how. At all. She'd thought they would find him, and then together, he would fly back to earth with her, but seeing him hanging there, the horrendous shape he was in, barely alive, she doubted he was even able to stay conscious long enough. What should she do now? How could she get him out of here? Zuriel wasn't strong enough to carry Lucifer back to earth, let alone take her with him. And without Zuriel, without his protection, she was defenseless against these monsters. She knew, Lucifer would rather die than let anything happen to her. And he would definitely punish anyone who would bring her in harm's way. She couldn't risk Zuriel's life like that. Even though saving Lucifer was her top concern, right now.

Zuriel stepped up to her, his look worried as he saw her deeply in thoughts. "Chloe, if you release the fastenings to his shoulders, I will hold him and lower him carefully. I doubt you'd be able to carry his weight," he explained to her, bringing her out of her state.

She shook her head slightly to get back to the here and now. Then she stared at Zuriel, her mind needing a moment to catch up on what he'd just said. She swallowed and blinked away the tears from her eyes, nodded at him and went to release the first chain being attached to Lucifer's shoulders. Zuriel was about the same height as Lucifer, and she watched him holding onto the Devil's legs, supporting his weight as good as possible. She rushed to the other side, and as fast as her trembling fingers were able to Chloe unfastened the other chain mechanism and joined them back in the center. Zuriel carefully lowered Lucifer to the ground and Chloe was immediately at his side, supporting his head so he wouldn't hit the hard floor.

"Lucifer, wake up! Damn it! Please… please you gotta wake up!" she cried, caressing his cheek. "Please… I'm here, Lucifer… You gonna be okay… But I need you to open your eyes! Come _on_!" She gave his left cheek a few gentle claps and sighed in a hysteric relieved sob when his eyes fluttered open again.

"... 'm surry… Pleas' d'n't… don't… 'm… surry…"

"Lucifer, what… why are you sorry…? Come on, stay with me!" She gestured Zuriel to take out the hooks from Lucifer's wings and shoulders, while letting him rest against her thighs.

Zuriel didn't hesitate. The faster these blasted instruments of torture were out of his lord's body, the better. While the hooks at Lucifer's shoulders could be removed without further tearing of his flesh, the spikes going through Lucifer's wing membranes _couldn't_. But the Devil didn't even seem to react to this gruesome act at all, aside from him panting and groaning when fresh wounds were ripped into the membranes as Zuriel removed the spikes.

"Talk to me Lucifer. _Please_ keep talking…" Chloe whispered, tenderly lifting his head to rest in her lap.

"... I… hurt… y-you…" he breathed and coughed, his eyes fluttering again, but stayed open at half-mast.

She frowned. What? Why… why did he think he hurt her? "Are you still worrying about the bruises? I told you it's alright… you didn't really hurt me, Lucifer." She caressed his face further, avoiding the cut at his jawline.

"... n-no… not…" He trailed off, his breathing heavily laboured. His eyes seemed to search for something as if he was clearing a thick fog in his head. "Y-you… and… Cain-n... an-nd... Ur-riel…"

She squeezed her eyes. _Shit. No… no not now. This was so not something he should wrack his mind about_. "Shh… You don't need to feel sorry, Lucifer…. We'll get through this. Together. I told you, you don't have to feel guilty for me and Marc-... Cain. You apologized and I accepted." She wasn't sure though who he meant with Uriel. By the sound of the name, however, she figured this could be the brother he had been mentioning once, who he had killed. _Breaking God's rule number one_ , she recalled him saying.

"I… I'ma m-monster…'ve t-tainted... y-you...s-so d-dark..."

 _What the hell is he talking about? Tainted? Where did he get that idea from?_ "Stop Lucifer, that just isn't true. Look at me…" she gently ordered in tears.

When he managed to focus his eyes at her, he frowned, seeming surprised and irritated. "You…. you're h-here…?"

Sticking to a train of thought didn't really seem to come easy in his state, she realised. She gently smiled back at him, nodding. "Yes… yes I'm here."

"B-but… how…" He paused and closed his eyes again, thinking. "How's… that p-possible?" He stared back at her again, his eyes nervously observing her. "Are you… y-you…" His voice broke and his breathing caught up in shock, his eyes glistening. "Did… did you… die?"

"No! No no no no Lucifer, I'm okay… you hear me? I'm not dead." _Holy shit, did he think of me to be some sort of hell loop for him? Some kind of sick torture method?_ "Amenadiel brought me down to hell, so Zuriel and I could go find you and-"

"Amen-n-diel? Why… the bloody h-hell…" His brows came together in a weak but angry frown.

"I convinced him to do so. Lucifer we don't have much time. Listen to me. We need to get back to earth. Do you think you can manage?" She bit her lip as she glanced over his body. Shit… he looked beyond broken. His wings showed several places of membrane without feathers and gashes that were spread all over them. And that was not even speaking of the hole in each of his upper wingbows.

Lucifer blinked, slurring something, most certainly cursing under his breath. He lowered his palms to his sides in a daze and pushed himself up a couple of inches, grunting from the effort. It seemed to cost him all the energy he could come up with at that time. Not able to manage it on his own, Chloe and Zuriel both supported him to sit up. He looked so miserable, his focus going on and off every few moments and he had trouble speaking a full sentence, let alone complete a thought.

"Back… earth…" he breathed and swallowed thickly.

"Yes. Earth. You have to get back Lucifer. You need to use your wings." she said with a shaky voice, leaving out for now that he, somehow had to carry her with him. He looked so miserable, so exhausted and tormented, she didn't really want to press the subject. But they needed to get away. They needed to hurry for so many reasons and the very eminent one was that she didn't know how much longer Cerberus would be able to busy the punishers. "Please…. focus. I need you to pull yourself together." Her heart ached at the forcefulness in her voice, but she had no choice than to push him. They were running out of time...

He trembled as he turned his upper body towards her, staring at her in thought before sadness began to spread over his features. "I… I can't…"

Hearing the despair in his tone, her heart ached with an intensity she never felt before and it sank to the bottom of her chest. Of course she had figured that this would be his answer. But it simply couldn't be the end. Nevertheless, the tension she held herself together with, seemed to slightly break apart, her expression turning sad as well.

"I… I'm…. d-drained…" Lucifer groaned, looking at her apologetically. "I'm… s-s-sorry…"

"Don't be, Lucifer… I understand. Of course you're exhausted." she whispered and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead, but Lucifer slowly shook his head twice.

"N-no… Not… exha-hausted… like that..." he slurred and turned his head to the sides as if trying to look over his shoulders.

"I believe he means his wings, Chloe. His divinity." Zuriel spoke quietly, his eyes looking at her calculatingly. "He… he's got nothing left inside of him."

At Zuriel's words, Lucifer's head dipped slightly forward, his eyes lowering almost in shame. "I can't… p-pass… through planes…"

Chloe immediately brushed her hands over Lucifer's cheeks to turn his face and make him look at her. "Lucifer _I_ carry your divinity, remember? You gave me your light. And somehow it has become more."

His brown eyes glistened and wavered, changing his focus on her face. "But… but I gave it… t-to y-you… I want y-you... t-to have it…"

"I know Lucifer, I know. But listen, I want you to take it back, okay? I _need_ you to take it back. I need you to have your divinity, so we can leave this place." she desperately begged with persistence.

His look became distant. "L-leave… this place…?"

 _Jesus fucking Christ, his brain is hardly able to keep up!_ This isn't going as fast as she had hoped this would go. "Lucifer." she rose her voice and clutched at his upper arms, shaking him. "Look at me. You're light is in me. Take it back. _Now._ " Not sure exactly what else to do or what he would need, she leaned in and hugged his upper body as tightly as she could. "Please, Lucifer. Take back your light."

He stifled a groan in her neck when she hugged him. His mind was reeling back and forth. _Bloody hell it's so hard to focus! Okay so… light.. yes… my divinity. I… I can sense it on her. Mmmm… she smells lovely… W-why is she squeezing me like that? Oh right…_ Trembling, he raised his hands to carefully place them on her back, noticing the odd feeling of something being wrapped around his palms. _What's with my hands?_ He grunted as he felt Chloe giving him another squeeze and melted against her. His muscles lost their frantic tension that got on and off again and again, but now finally his shape leaned into her, really taking note of her and immediately wanting her closer. _Mmmm… My light… it's… it's all there… How's that even possible? Didn't I… just give her a wee bit?_ He inhaled her scent with a soft sigh, smiling to himself.

"Lucifer… _take it_ … _please_." Chloe quietly but urgently pleaded once more, rocking him carefully.

"Yes… hmmm, 'm surry, luv'…" he slurred into her neck, his thumbs starting to caress her back. _Right… taking it back…_ His thoughts wandered to the feeling he experienced when he had given her his light. A moment passed by quietly and then a rising warmth began to spread in between their bodies. He could feel his divinity lingering beneath the surface of her and knew instantly that it had been at a safe place. It was secured inside her very soul and felt comfortable where it had been kept until now. When his divinity started crossing bodies, he could tell that his previous feeling had been right. That his light had increased inside her up to the point of his original amount. A theory crossed his mind on his divinity perhaps having some sort of self-preservation mechanism, but his mind softly rushed back towards the wonderful feeling of Chloe in his arms and his light flooding through her and him.

The process of light transportation caused the otherwise dark throne room to be drenched in blinding white-yellow light. He focused on the amount of light he took over, smiling quietly and dearly holding on to Chloe, as he made sure not to take everything back from her, but to leave behind a small amount. However, since the amount of his divinity in total was so massive, the whole process of retrieving it from her took almost half a minute. And when all of a sudden it was over, the blazing light disappeared without a sound, leaving them back in the dark dusty hall.

Breathing still a bit raggedly, but much calmer than before, Lucifer carefully pulled away. His eyes focused back at hers, now finally able to not drift off. He felt bursting with power. Not with long lasting strength yet, but he could feel the divinity flooding through him once again, fulfilling him in a way, nothing else could. At least not the same way. "That was… delightful. Quite literally."

She felt relieved, a weight lifted off of her, that strangely didn't feel negative, but she still enjoyed the divinity leaving her, just about the same as she liked it when he had given it to her. Smiling gently at him she caressed his stubbly cheek. "Hey. _There_ you are..." She was relieved that finally he seemed to be able to focus and respond to her properly, his cognitive functions back on track.

"Pleasure to see you finally in the flesh again, my dear." he breathed and swallowed down the lump in his throat that the memories of his agonizing dreams and illusions had left in him as they slowly faded into oblivion. Now and then, one of the images that had felt far too realistic for his mind and heart tried to grasp him, holding onto him in a final attempt to survive, but he shook his head almost forcefully and squinted his eyes, pressing every remnant to the back of his head and thus, eventually, out of his consciousness.

Her brows softly wrinkled in wonder at what he had meant by that, but she wasn't really pondering over it as she was too glad to hear his voice becoming stronger by the minute. Suddenly she noticed a soft tingle inside her and reflexively her sight wandered over her body.

Lucifer caught her blinking in thought. "I didn't take everything. I… I want you to keep a small amount," he informed her softly.

Blinking back tears, Chloe nodded in agreement, smiling. "Thank you." she quietly spoke and let her forehead rest against Lucifer's for a brief moment of repose.

A tall dark frame leaned in towards them, breaking their tender closeness and making them part. "Brother, do you feel your body regenerating more quickly now?" Zuriel asked under his breath but with persistence, genuine concern written all over his face. He had seen Lucifer in bad shape before, but still the situation was urgent in its own way.

He looked down at himself, taking in the status of his body and his injuries. When he listened to his own body, focusing on his metabolism, he could tell that his celestial healing ability had massively increased due to his refilled divine batteries. "It is, yes."

"Good, because you both _need_ to leave hell. Cerberus can only keep the punishers away for so long."

"Cerberus… ?" he asked surprised. _What's he doing here in the hell's centre?_ He pushed himself up to his feet with a hiss, balancing himself which was a bit tricky as the feeling to his wings and limbs wasn't fully back yet. Everything tingled from the numbness leaving him, making way for pain to hit him once again. One pain was coming from the wound on his upper thigh and another from his flank, but the claw-like slash wounds would heal in due time. His gaze moved from Zuriel to Chloe, thinking. The punishers were outside. They would continue torturing whatever they could lay their hands on until the end of time. And once the connection through the Styx was stable, they could cross over, even without wings. They would unleash their sickening terrors onto humanity without stopping. "I _will_ get us out, Chloe. I just… I need to take care of something before we leave."

His tone had changed just slightly, but in combination with the sudden darkness and determination in his eyes, Chloe immediately understood what Lucifer was up to do. "This is crazy, Lucifer. Please, you're hardly in shape to take them on and we need to get back to earth and stop Gadreel."

"You don't understand, Chloe. This is not something that can wait. In fact, I've waited far too long. I need to take care of them _here_ and _now_. Because once the Styx has fully bled into the earthly plane, then they can simply _walk out_!" He was panting, angrily. There was no option, no choice. It was crystal clear what he needed to do. What he _had_ to do.

Chloe's expression hardened. "Alright, fine. Then Zuriel and I will help you." she nodded stubbornly, crossing her arms.

He shook his head vehemently. "No. No way! You've been through enough already and-"

"Don't even try shaking me off, Lucifer." She glowered at him before tilting her head towards the other angel. "Zuriel? Come on, speak up! I doubt you will leave your lord and queen hanging, would you?" She looked at her hell-companion expectantly, making Zuriel look back and forth uncomfortably between Lucifer and her, before sighing in agreement.

"Of course not, my queen. I wish for you _both_ to stay alive." Turning to Lucifer, he then inclined his head. "Brother… please, don't be foolish and let us-"

"No, Zuriel. I won't debate this." he cut him off sharply. "I need to take care of this on my own and I need you to stay with Chloe and make sure she's secure while I rectify my mistake." He stepped closer to him, his eyes hardening. "If you don't obey me, then you are standing in my way." he spoke coldly, straightening himself with a growl.

"Lucifer what the hell is wrong with- Wait, what… what do you mean 'rectify my mistake'?" Chloe frowned. Why the heck was he suddenly so stubborn to throw himself into the arms of his punishers? Why not take at least the support of Zuriel, if he didn't want to let her accompany him..

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, but avoided looking back at her while he was thinking, his jaw muscles flexing. "I do not wish for you to be near me when I'm dealing with them."

She was about to protest again, thinking that she wasn't stupid. She was a trained officer and knew how to stay out of the way if necessary, given his protectiveness, but then she saw something in his expression that made her hesitate. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and his right hand's fingers began to twitch, wanting to fumble with his onyx ring, but unable to really do so, because of his bandage. He was nervous. Afraid. It was obvious he didn't mean for her to stay away simply because he wanted her safe. Of course he wanted that as well, but that wasn't all.

 _Rectify my mistake_. The punishers. They were all fallen brothers, but had not only killed during the rebellion, but also had become punishers in hell, even though they should be suffering their own hell-loops and not punish humans with their sadistic behavior. _Of course…_ Lucifer wanted to take care of them. As in give them their appropriate punishments. With what they had done to Lucifer and countless of human souls for eons… He hadn't intervened and felt guilty about it, because he felt it would have been the right thing to do. She assumed he would use all his divine power as the Devil himself. And he didn't want for her to see him _being_ the Devil, doing what he does as the Lord of Hell, not because he liked doing it, but because he felt it was the right thing to do and he was good at it, too.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat she shook her head at him, speaking in a tender voice. "Lucifer, I thought we have been through this. I am not scared of you. You do what you think you must. I will let you. But don't worry about me thinking any less about you, please."

He exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding and his expression turned surprised. She understood his worries better than he gave her credit for. "Really? Are you… are you sure? It will certainly not be very… appetizing..."

She nodded. "I thought so. Yes, I'm sure." She looked at him determined. "Give them hell."

That made a small smile slip up his lips. "Right then…" He inhaled, pausing a moment. "But you _will_ stay behind in cover and if you find yourself targeted by them, you run. And Zuriel, you _will_ protect her at all costs, is that clear?"

Both of them nodded when suddenly a horrifying yelp echoed from outside. Cerberus seemed to have fought the punishers off until now, but they had pushed him back towards the fortress. He knew Cerberus was strong, but against a bunch of fallen angels, he would eventually have a hard time. "They're here. Quickly, Zuriel, bring her to my quarters!" He shooed them to the back of the throne area, watching as Zuriel immediately took hold on Chloe's arm to guide her along.

She was rushed through a set of richly decorated iron doors leading them into what appeared to be a big study room. The shelves were filled with old books and ancient looking scrolls and the luxurious red velvet baroque couches and chairs as well as the countless antiquities in vitrines all over the place, reminded her of Lucifer's penthouse. Shutting the doors until only a small gap was staying open, Chloe peered into the throne room, her heart thundering and subconsciously she was clutching onto her necklace.

Lucifer had turned to his fortress' entrance with its heavy front doors. When the barking and yelping became louder, he began to mentally and physically prepare himself to fight. His sweaty and blood covered skin transformed into a mixture of muscles, burned flesh, sinews and bones. His hair disappeared, revealing his slightly warped, fleshen Devil head. His back muscles twitched from tension, causing his wings to move as well. He kept them out on purpose, knowing that the punishers would go for his wings, but now that they held his full divinity again, he was far more powerful than his enemies would expect and prefer.

With a heavy thrust, the front doors burst open, cracking and splintering under the weight of a huge mass of black fur. Cerberus landed several feet into the grand hall, crushing into a stone beam and coming to a halt laying on his side. He growled and winced, his tongues hanging out as he caught his breath.

Lucifer could see his dog was covered in slashes, his fur ruffled and torn, blood leaking from several deep wounds, the look in his three heads beaten and exhausted. The Devil's eyes lit up with a raging fire.

 _Oh they shouldn't have done that…_

* * *

 **So here we are, Chloe finally found and freed Lucifer. What do you think? As always I'm happy to hear your feedback!**

 **I will however, have to hold you as a little bit in suspense, as I will have to slow down the releasing to one chapter per week, due to my Master Thesis. Don't worry, several more chapters are already prepared. I merely want to avoid having caught up with my finished chapters and then be forced to leave you hanging. So, the following next chapters will be released on Tuesdays.**

 **I'm so happy to see people have a nice read with my story. :) Love you lots! Have a great week!**


	19. Eye Of The Storm

Eye Of The Storm

 **Chapter Title/Song by Watt White**

 **Ah yes, you all have waited for some action, so... Welcome to Devil time.**

* * *

Dust and ashen clouds had rushed into the entrance and broke the already dim hellish lighting, making the throne room look even grimmer and more depressing. The fast rustling of metal echoed and came closer, accompanied by heavy raspy grunts and murmurs. When the first two shapes raced into the hall, Lucifer shifted through the shadows, his body merely a blur in his movement. Launching himself forward, he tackled the first punisher he managed to reach, grabbing him, and thrusted his full mass into him. Makatiel grunted in surprise, growling and groaning when his back was smashed into the left side wall. Stones cracked and armor clanked when Lucifer took hold of the punisher's throat and rammed his head back against the wall over and over again. With loud wheezing and roaring, Makatiel began to strike back, but the Devil easily avoided his fists.

A high shrieking sound echoed through the room as Puriel stepped up behind Lucifer and lashed his whip down towards him. The spiky ends viciously cracked through the air, threatening to impact with Lucifer's wings, but in the last moment he turned, pulled Makatiel with him, and with a disgusting wet bashing sound, the spikes of Puriel's cat 'o nine dug themselves into Makatiel's face. He screamed and reached up to his face in sheer horror, but Lucifer didn't give either of them a chance to react further. He made a heavy flap with his wings and thereby pushed Puriel forcefully backwards. The leather straps of the whip tensed as they took their trophies from Makatiel's face, making the punisher drop to the ground, screaming and sobbing in pain.

Puriel's expression faltered while he gathered back his balance on his feet and saw the Devil straightening his back, raising and spreading his wings to their full span.

"I told you, Puriel. You're going to be the first." Lucifer spoke in a low, threatening tone, a deep growl rumbling from his chest. "I should've taken care of you and your loathsome, sadistic specimen of brothers a long time ago." Slowly he stepped closer towards him.

Puriel bared his sharpened teeth at him, hissing spitefully. "And I should have flailed your chest until your heart dropped out so I could have had a feast on it!"

A fake grin slipped up on Lucifer's charred lips. "Well then, by all means... have a go!" He snarled and made a fake lunge, tricking Puriel to react by instinct. And just like he expected, Puriel swirled around to make a whiplash at him. With a turn to the side, Lucifer bent forward to avoid the whip and used the momentum of his turn to make use of his left wing. The big primary feathers straightened, hardening to razors, and cut through the air with a sharp hissing sound.

Puriel barely managed to jump back and out of the reach of Lucifer's wing attack. He landed on one knee, his expression darkening. "You think you're so strong with your damn wings! Too bad, Hutriel didn't fully pluck you. You'd be back to crisp chicken wings like when you fell."

The grin on Lucifer's face widened with insulting brashness as he approached him once again and spat, "At least _my_ wings returned back to their full beauty, as they will again." He shook his head in mocking disbelief. "You really think, all I attack you with is my body, Puriel? Can't you feel it?" His voice lowered and his expression dropped to a vicious dark look. "I'm _recharged_." Taking a sharp breath, he extended his palms towards Puriel. " _Yol!"_ Lucifer's voice echoed with intensity through the grand hall. The use of the ancient language sounded rough and dangerous, although at the same time the tune had millions of beautiful facets layered on top of each other.

A thick blast of energy shot from his palms towards Puriel, igniting to an all consuming whirlwind of hellfire. Caught completely off guard by the divine attack from the Devil, Puriel was instantly enclosed from the flames, shrieking and howling.

"Raaaaargh! Noooo!" He tried to jump away, but even as Lucifer broke off the flaming pillar towards him, Puriel continued to burn. Tossing and turning he screamed, lashing out with his whip in desperation until he dropped to the ground, eventually stopping to move all together.

Continuous low growls rumbled through Lucifer's chest, the Devil fully awake. He calmly turned back to the miserable pile of whimpering Makatiel on the ground a few meters away. The punisher had half his face missing, not that it made him look that much more gross, in Lucifer's opinion.

Makatiel heard the barefoot steps of Lucifer's approach and sucked up rasping breaths, blood pooling beneath his head. "N-no… you wouldn't… k-kill… your brother… in c-cold blood… w-would you?"

A strange flicker of curiosity and wonder spread across his face as he stood beside Makatiel, menacingly towering over him. "You…" he laughed in a sarcastic, dark way. "You want to tell me about cold blooded murder on a brother? Really? _You_?" Baring his teeth he crouched down to the punisher. "I've seen you during the rebellion, Makatiel. I know _exactly_ what you did. You _don't get_ to turn the tables on _me_!"

Makatiel let out a sudden grunt, his remaining eye widened in shock as Lucifer's hand thrusted into his chest from just below his ribcage, digging deeply into the flesh. Not caring that his palm was bandaged and had not yet healed, the Devil gripped Makatiel's heart tightly. With a hot exhale of breath, he let his fingertips start to emit his hellfire straight into the core of the punisher, turning the insides of his opponent into cinders until even the deformed outer shell of him had crumbled to ashes and only a fragile burnt skeleton remained.

The heavy rustle of metal rang through the room once more and Cerberus began to snarl and bark wildly, wincing as he pulled himself back up on his clawy paws again, alarming his master of the approximating attackers. Pulling back from Makatiel's body, Lucifer rose up again and turned towards the entrance. "Come here, Cerberus." he called over to his dog who immediately trotted to his side, limping, howling and whining. He panted heavily with his three heads and lightly brushed against Lucifer's arm. Then he moved around his master and positioned himself behind him. "Good boy, wait there." Lucifer ordered him calmly.

He watched as the four remaining punishers approached over the dust and gravel covered red carpet. Lahatiel hissed like a snake, his black eyes moving from the burnt corpse of Makatiel towards the still ablaze, but also dead body of Puriel. "Thisss you will pay for…." he snarled at the Devil.

Lucifer made slow, cautious steps, as the punishers spread out to a half circle around him. Lahatiel stood to his left, his long tongue flicking from side to side. In front of Lucifer stood Hutriel and Shoftiel, both grinning wildly at him. To his very right side stood Rogziel, who Lucifer remembered to have a perverted fascination on eating from his opponents. His eyes were a deep blood-red and his shape had turned into something more animalistic. His mouth was a rather dog-like snout with long, thin and razor sharp teeth. All of Rogziel's extremities were covered by greyish fur and were also longer in proportion to his torso, his feet as well as his hands ended in a set of claws. He looked more lycanthrope than a man.

Rogziel let out a deep guttural growl as he ran towards the left side of the hall. Once close enough, he lowered himself to all fours and with a strong push, jumped against the wall, using his claws to dig into the stone, climbing along it in fast ziczac jumps.

"Get him, Cerberus." Lucifer simply ordered to his faithful protector and with a bark, Cerberus sprang up and darted to the side, aiming to attack Rogziel. Both shapes disappeared into the back of the room, vicious snarls, clawing and snapping sounds coming from the dark corner they were fighting in.

Having busied one punisher with Cerberus, three remained to be taken care of by Lucifer himself. Hutriel, bared his wolfish toothy grin as he made a step towards the Devil. The punisher was like a bear. He was a good eight inches taller than Lucifer with an overall heavy muscular build. His upper thighs, shoulders and arms were covered with thick shards of obsidian acting like armor parts that had grown into his flesh. Both his legs ended in four vicious looking claws, reminding of the feet of a raptor. "I should've fully plucked you, little fledgling. Now I'll just cut those damn wings off. Maybe sew them onto my own back." He laughed spitefully, drawing a dark metallic cleaver from his back. With a hiss he dashed forward, closing the distance between him and the Devil within a couple of wide strides. The cleaver cut down and sideways at Lucifer in quick changing sets.

But no matter how fast Hutriel was slashing down, Lucifer skipped each cut from side to side, almost leisurely avoiding a hit. A moment of hesitation from Hutriel, just lasting a second, opened up a possibility for the Devil to counter. Lunging sideways towards the punisher's hand that held the cleaver, Lucifer slammed his fist with full force against the thick wrist of his opponent. Hutriel hissed, the impact sending his arm outwards, but his grip on his weapon wouldn't loosen. Enraged he got back at Lucifer, using the proximity they had to thrust his head down against Lucifer's in a numbing headbutt, making him stumble backwards several steps in a short daze.

Shaking his head and blinking, Lucifer forced his vision to clear, before Hutriel could take his chances once more. He tensed his wings, his feathers becoming rigid razor blades and with a roar, he began using his wingtips like spears, thrusting them forward in an alternating sequence, left, right, left, right, pushing Hutriel backwards and holding him at bay.

In the background, Lahatiel hissed towards Shoftiel, who was holding his palms outstretched towards Lucifer in deep focus. "What isss taking so long!? Put a ssspell on him! Make him sssuffer and immobile again!"

His eyes glaring, Shoftiel concentrated dark ripples of energy, sending them out towards the Devil. "I'm trying!" The energy shot like white-blue lightning against Lucifer's chest and wings, but Lucifer seemed unaffected and continued his attacks on Hutriel in a merciless rage. "It's not working! His divinity is guarding him from the energy. I'm gonna try something else..."

Lahatiel only commented this with a grouchy grunt and made a turn to circle around Lucifer and get behind the Devil's back.

The archangel's attacks began to intensify against Hutriel, who wasn't even able to strike back anymore, but was merely using his cleaver to try and shield himself from the neverending cascade of slicing feathers battering into the tiled floor of the grand hall.

Taking a deep calming and focusing breath, Shoftiel stood a broader stance and reached his arms out to his sides. At several places throughout the throne room, parts of the air began to vibrate and shimmer, and with one flash after another figures appeared out of thin air, and a sinister grin slipped up on Shoftiel's lips.

Lucifer was flailing and slicing down with his wings continuously against Hutriel, when suddenly movements to his left and right caught his attention. Irritatedly he slowed his attacks, glimpsing to his sides. He was caught off guard in shock when he saw his brother Uriel standing only a few meters away. He was wearing his roughspun grey in brown clothes that Lucifer remembered having made fun of when he saw him back on earth. "Uriel…?" Lucifer breathed with a frown, his rage immediately subsiding. His movements had slowed, but only when he noticed more shapes to his sides, he actually stopped his attacks, standing his ground with his wings outstretched.

Swallowing he glanced to his right. Rows of people had formed, all of them appearing battled, wounded and they all looked directly at Lucifer with a reproachful stare. He knew each and every one of them. His chest tightened. All his brethren, whose lives had been ended during the rebellion, gathered around him.

"You killed me, brother! Because of you I had to die!"

"I followed you! I trusted you! You betrayed me!"

"I cried and screamed for help, but you didn't do anything!"

"You left me to be slaughtered right in front of your eyes!"

"You didn't stop them! You could have stopped our siblings! The massacre!"

"You were too proud to stand up and protect us! So we all had to die, because of you!"

They were surrounding him. Pointing at him. Accusing him. And he felt his insides tearing. "No.. no… I didn't mean for this to happen, I-" His mind became blurry from the impact of emotions and his enemies were eager to use the moment of distraction and weakness they put Lucifer in, to strike.

"Lucifer! Don't listen! Focus!" a high pitched shout came from behind him. "Lucifer! They're not real!"

He frowned, his eyes frantically moving from one sibling to the next, turning from side to side as his former siblings began to fade one after another.

Shoftiel's illusion was slowly falling apart and the punisher quietly withdrew himself as his eyes shifted towards the backroom of the throne, thinking on his next attack. Hutriel, on the other hand, immediately took the chance to attack as Lucifer was still distracted, slashing down on the Devil's back.

 _SAMAEL!_ Chloe's desperate scream imploded in the back of Lucifer's mind as she reached out to him in prayer, taking him back to the here and now. Instinctively he ducked down and forward, away from the impending cleaver slash, but his reaction wasn't fast enough to avoid the contact. The black shimmering blade mercilessly sliced over his back in a diagonal cut from his top right shoulder down to his lower left back. The Devil cried out in pain and fresh hot blood immediately poured out from the wound. Stumbling forward onto his knees, he tried to keep his physical strength up, panting heavily.

Both Hutriel as well as Lahatiel closed in on the Lord of Hell, snarling and barking in laughter. As Lucifer sucked in heavy breath after breath, he could feel the punishers approaching. He felt their darkness as if it was thick toxic smoke spreading out towards him, slowly but surely taking away his oxygen. And he knew once they'd reached him, he would have difficulties to fight back. Focusing, he felt his one chance was to use his divine power. But he needed to use it in the right moment.

"Finally the day hasss come. Time to demit, brother." Lahatiel hissed with a laugh, flicking his tongue in anticipation of sinking his teeth into the Devil's flesh.

He realized the punishers were lowering their eagerness towards him as they thought he was down on the ground, losing the battle against them. They enjoyed taking their time. Clenching his teeth and closing his eyes, Lucifer took another deep breath. His wings hung semi-spread, exposed, but being his one and only physical protection.

"Chop, chop, Lucifer!" Hutriel barked with a guttural laughter, raising his cleaver and with a roar struck down against Lucifer's left wing.

This was it. The moment. With a last heavy intake of breath, Lucifer burst open his wings and rose up to his full height. Both Hutriel and Lahatiel got completely taken by surprise. The thrusts of the wings hit them both full force, smashing into them and literally sending them flying several feet out of Lucifer's space. With a growl, his eyes ablaze, he bared his teeth, swiftly expanding his palms towards his two attackers. " _Yul!_ "

A blinding heat formed in his palms, a mixture of reds and yellows, swirling and growing into thick, hungry fireballs. With a hiss, he thrusted off the hellfire against the staggered punishers. The instant the flames latched onto Hutriel and Lahatiel, they screamed in terror. Hutriel dropped his cleaver, scratching and patting against his chest in a desperate attempt to rid himself off the relentless flames of hell. His anxiety rose to the point where he began to tear at his own skin, trying to take away the fertile grounds for the flames, but it was in vain and eventually he crumbled to the ground, screaming in agony until his physical form wouldn't support it any longer.

Lahatriel's fate was sealed just the same, even though the punisher's reaction wasn't pure existential anxiety, but mixed with the rage for payback. He knew he would go down, but wanted to inflict as much damage on the way as possible. Opening up his massive deformed jaw, he threw himself at Lucifer, his toxic long tongue dripping its gruesome venom, ready to touch every inch of skin he could. But he didn't expect Lucifer to have counted on exactly that.

A dark smile tugged at the Devil's lips when in one fast thrust, he punched forward at Lahatriel's face, but instead of knocking his fist against the punishers demonically warped head, he snatched at Lahatriel's tongue. "Now let's hear you whine without that unsavoury, split tongue of yours." he mocked and with a sickening sound, tore out the poisonous tongue. The slick saliva burned in his palm and he had to immediately throw away this piece of flesh, but the reaction from Lahatiel was satisfying enough. Lahatiel was trying to scream, but instead only guttural whimpers and whines escaped him as blood poured out of his mouth and Lucifer's flames were eating him alive until he sank to the ground.

The seconds passed by with Lucifer rolling his shoulders, the pain of the cut on his back stinging more prominently as the wounds from the torture he had endured. His gaze slowly shifted, scanning the throne room as to check where Cerberus, Rogziel and Shoftiel were. In the back left corner, he saw the long furry limbs of Rogziel sticking out of the shadows, pools of blood slowly spreading out beneath him. A trembling roar made Lucifer turn. His heart contracted violently, knocking out the air from his lungs, when he saw Shoftiel pushing open the doors to his private rooms and throwing himself at Chloe.

"CHLOE!" His muscles moved on their own as he raced over to the Detective, realizing that he was not going to be fast enough, not close enough to barge in and get a hold onto Shoftiel. _No! No this can't be happening! No!_ _Noo!_

A slash, a bark and a set of various growls mixed together in a deadly acoustic dance and bodies became a blur in their movements. Shoftiel's plated claw-like glove gripped onto Chloe's throat as his other hand thrusted a wave of energy against Zuriel. Painful illusions impacted into Zuriel's body and mind, making him fall to his knees with a grunt, dropping his sword in the process.

Chloe's eyes widened in shock and terror, the grip on her throat threatening to easily squeeze and break her. She desperately pulled at Shoftiel's hand, trying to loosen the grip at least a fraction, but the pressure stayed brutal and his hold iron. At the force her trachea and jugular were being vigorously compressed, her mouth rasped out woeful groans and shrieks. The hammering of her heart in her chest was pumping the blood so forcefully through her veins that it felt sickening in her throat as nothing seemed to be able to get up into her brain anymore. Both air and blood alike weren't allowed to flow freely anymore, making her lose her strength exponentially fast to the duration of Shoftiel's grip on her.

A sudden growl was heard, immediately followed by Shoftiel groaning in pain. He was pushed against Chloe, making them both land on the ground. The punisher turned with a snarl, trying to get up again, in the process releasing his hold on Chloe, and facing a muscular thick frame of black fur.

Chloe instantly took a sharp, tormenting breath for air, holding onto her throat and retreating on the ground in a backwards crawl until she hit the nearest piece of furniture. She watched in shock as Shoftiel turned towards Cerberus, who was growling and snapping inexorably at Shoftiel even though it was clearly visible how much trouble the loyal protector had, enduring his own wounds he had suffered. Thick blood seeped out of a gash on Cerberus ribcage and he had several more cuts over his three heads as well as his legs and tail. One head of Cerberus had managed to bite into Shoftiel's right arm, tearing at it, while his other two snapped for his shoulder and head. Hissing and groaning in pain, Shoftiel lashed out with his free hand, ripping deeply into Cerberus chest wound and making the dog yelp and withdraw in an instant. Cerberus' features changed in agony as he made several shaky steps to the side, his heads dipping low, trying to reach his chest to lick his wound, but unable to do so.

It had been those couple of seconds Lucifer had needed to close the distance between him and the horrifying action that was happening in his private room. When he barged into the room, wings aligned and eyes ablaze, he took no second glance as he picked up Shoftiel and thrusted him back against the wall. The punisher grinned at the Devil, although panting heavily, as Cerberus' bite onto his arm had almost completely ripped the limb off.

Lucifer could feel as Shoftiel began to focus his energy once again to try to bring up a new illusion when suddenly a metallic blur cut in in front of Lucifer's eyes. Shoftiel's eyes had ripped open and his grin was oddly slacking down, blood burbling out of his mouth. Looking at the punishers throat Lucifer saw Zuriel's sword stuck right through from side to side. "Nice finish." Lucifer panted and looked over towards Zuriel, who was catching his breath as well. "Again." He shifted his form back to his human appearance, offering a weak smile at his fallen brother.

"Oh my god! Cerberus! Hey! Hey!" Chloe's hoarse voice suddenly rang in the room.

Dropping the punishers body, Lucifer turned to watch in confusion as Chloe leaned over a sideways laying Cerberus. He stepped closer and kneeled down at her side, just now able to see his dogs' bad shape. His wounds were jagged and gruesome looking and he was rapidly losing blood.

"Cerberus…" Lucifer's voice quietly broke as he reached out, placing the closest outer head of him in his lap, petting him affectionately. "Come on, old boy, hold on…" He inspected his condition, feeling how the massive hound was at his last remaining resorts of energy. Clenching his teeth, he tried his best to stay composed, even though a dark realization was lurking in the back of his mind, crushing his insides and tearing him apart.

"Lucifer!? Can't you do something?" Chloe cried at his side, looking at him expectantly. "Do some of your angel magic or something! Please!"

He swallowed thickly, his eyes frantically wandering over Cerberus' body. "I… I can't…"

Her expression faltered, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks while she tenderly scrubbed another one of Cerberus' heads. "What!? What do you mean? Can't you do _anything_?"

"I can't… I cannot heal him with my feathers. He's a creature from hell and I-"

Cerberus whined and sniffed, but then he rose his head off Lucifer's lap, nudging his hand again and again with a low growl. He seemed to push against his master, while at the same time moving away from his touch all of a sudden.

"Do you… understand him? What… what's wrong?" Chloe sobbed, looking from Cerberus to Lucifer irritatedly.

"Oh bloody hell, you're not doing this to me, you drooling furball!" Lucifer suddenly cried out, heavily breathing, blinking away tears. "No, no I'm not!"

Cerberus began to snarl and bare his teeth, licking his noses. His orange eyes looked back at the Devil with intensity before once again he prodded his thick heads against Lucifer, pushing him back off of him.

"What does he want?" Chloe tried, grabbing Lucifer's arm. "What is it?"

Sighing, the Devil slowly shook his head, swallowing thickly again. "He… he wants for us to leave."

"What!? Why?" This was madness! Maybe Cerberus was really wanting this, but he was badly hurt. How was he supposed to hold on and survive? He'd probably just bleed out and die on the spot.

"He knows that we need to leave." he explained with a laboured voice, carefully reaching out once again to caress over Cerberus legs. "He knows we cannot take him with us." It was simply not possible. Lucifer would have enough trouble even if it would just be himself doing the transfer from hell to the earthly plane and now he would need to have all the strength to carry Chloe safely across. "I'm so sorry, Cerberus."

The dog's eyes shimmered, looking exhausted and sad. His outer right head rose up, glancing at Lucifer before staring through the door into the throne room with a light, pleading whine.

"Of course…" A weak, plaintive laugh escaped Lucifer and he exchanged a look with Zuriel, who moved to his side. Together the angels carefully took a hold onto Cerberus broad furry body, lifting him up.

Chloe wiped her nose from all her sobbing and crying, following as they carried Cerberus into the throne room, not sure what they were doing.

They focused on not making too fast movements and payed attention that Cerberus would not feel any tugging on his wounds. Gently they both laid the hellhound down in front of the throne, where Cerberus curled up his body, resting his heads on his clawy paws.

"He wanted to rest at the throne like he often did when I was there." Lucifer explained, gently rubbing the dog's middle head. "Thank you for always having my back, old boy. I won't forget you." he quietly spoke, sounding clearly emotional about the farewell between them after having eons of loyal companionship from Cerberus. He swallowed thickly before turning back to Chloe. He moisturized his lips, but didn't speak, his expression speaking volumes as his dark eyes looked back at her. He knew she was aware they had to leave.

It was tough. Chloe's heart was aching madly at the decision they had to make. She had come to hell to save Lucifer and now she felt horrible to leave with him but leaving Cerberus behind. She crouched down to Cerberus once again, scratching him carefully over his heads, receiving a treatment of three large tongues licking her back in a weak but loving approval.

Lucifer sighed and when he was about to get a hold onto Chloe, he noticed the pile of his torn clothes laying near the throne, a white piece of paper sticking out from the blood soaked rags. Eagerly he stepped up to the pile, retrieved the precious sheet and looked at its content, his chest tightening. Clutching it close, he took a sharp breath and closed the distance to Chloe once again, pulling her up gently, but with determination. "You have to hold on very tightly, love." he quietly spoke to her ear, slipping his arms around her waist and shoulders, keeping her firmly pressed against him.

Sniveling she slung her arms around his neck, letting him pull her close once more. She nodded. "O-okay…" Her voice trembled, even though she tried her best to keep herself together. Realizing they simply had no other choice, she took in a calming breath and tried to focus on the things that had priority. _Get out of hell alive. Go to my daughter and kiss and hug her for at least an hour. Stop Gadreel and save the world. Easy-peasy, Decker. I'd kill to be able to have a week of just plain paperwork now..._

Zuriel exchanged a short nod with Lucifer. "I'll see you in a second, my lord." The fallen angel fully unfurled his black-red wings and pushed himself off, breaking through the otherworldly barriers of hell's confinement.

"Alright then. Buckle up, darling. It's gonna be quite a rough ride." Lucifer took another deep breath and spread his wings to their full breadth. He felt Chloe tighten her hold onto him while he did the same to her one last time and with three laboured flaps, pushed them off into the void between hell and earth.

* * *

 **There you go my dear readers! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think! :) Next chapter on Tuesday. Love you lots!**


	20. Get Up

Get Up

 **Chapter Title/Song by All Good Things**

 **(The song is really powerful. Especially for the first part of the chapter. Enjoy the read and the listening!)**

* * *

The transfer between the planes with Amenadiel back then was nothing compared to the one with Lucifer now. It felt like hell had the characteristics of a living swamp entity that would do everything to hinder them from escaping its claws, putting every possible obstacle in their way and pull them backwards.

The neverending impact of noise crushed against her ears like the continuous rattle of machine guns in a warzone. It was sickening loud, adding to a nausea that built inside her from the strange feel of weightlessness she was in. She needed a point to look at that would steady her senses somehow, but when Chloe opened her eyes, she wasn't surrounded by anything _real_. It wasn't a form of environment that she could take in or analyze. It was surreal. Abstract. And it was scaring the shit out of her. Even more than hell's creatures and landscape had.

They travelled through a void that felt as if it was not only tearing at her physical form, but also at her very soul. As if hell tried to make sure _nothing_ of her could leave. Swirls of black and red burned all around them, tentacles of darkness coming forth, latching onto her legs, pulling at her while imprinting in her mind the thoughts of the inevitability of their fail in escaping, planting the seed of doubt. Turning her head to Lucifer's chest once more, she forcefully pressed her eyes shut again, praying to whoever was out there and no matter if it made any sense, to let them both survive this. They hadn't come this far, hadn't _endured_ so much, to fail now.

Despite their embrace, she was starting to slip and Lucifer had to adjust his hold on her, tightly pressing both his arms around her waist. The force of his grip was as hard as he could allow it to be, without accidentally crushing Chloe's frame. His wings relentlessly flapped against the force that tried to pull them both back to hell. It was a general pull that had always been there. It had always been strong, but never _this_ strong. He figured it all had to do with the Styx. The river was providing a balance between the realms that wasn't a given any longer and thus hell had gotten a much stronger hold onto them, in an unpleasantly literal way.

He grunted, his wing muscles burning to a maddening point, but they had no choice. With bared teeth and covered in blood and sweat, Lucifer forced them forward, always forward, because going back to hell was not an option. Each and every single one of his wounds was tearing open by the grip hell had on him. The slash on his back, the gruesome gashes from Puriel's whip on his flank and upper thigh, the puncture wounds in his membranes, shoulders and palms, and the countless smaller cuts all over him. Everything was painful and sucking out the last fragments of physical energy his body could come up with. The only true strengths he had left were his divinity and his endless willpower. And since his divinity couldn't help him in the transfer, all he could count on was his determination to _never - give - up_.

Chloe's level of anxiety was rising rapidly, as their travel through whatever _this_ was, was going on for what felt like an eternity. She had lost any sense of time, and could just wildly guess that it had at least been a full minute of complete terror, while Amenadiel's ride had felt like it had been over in a second and could be considered a joyful ride in comparison to what she experienced now.

 _Yesss… We're close, I can feel it… Come on... Just a little bit further…_ Lucifer clenched his teeth in agony, again adjusting his hold on Chloe, making sure to press her head tightly under his chin and keeping her tucked as firm against his frame as possible. Panting and groaning, he kept thrusting his wings up and down. When he felt the border in reach, he let out a pain-filled but vehement scream, forcing his body to give a last extra amount of power into his wing beats, and then, their surrounding seemed to rip apart and blinding nothingness wrapped itself around them.

* * *

A thunder rolled through the penthouse when a shimmering vortex appeared in the middle of the living room. Then a big feathery blur of white and red was spat out through the otherworldly rift which closed and disappeared right after.

Glass shattered, wood splintered and an agonizing cry of pain tore at her eardrums. Chloe flinched and groaned as she blinked and tried to gather her bearings. She took in several breaths, forcing herself to calm down from her anxiety attack, while her vision began to slowly clear up. Something shifted and trembled beneath her and all of a sudden it stopped altogether, the only thing audible being a heavy, rasping breathing.

"Lucifer?" She murmured exhausted and waited. Her heart rate immediately skyrocketed again, when she realized she was laying on top of him and he didn't react. "Lucifer?!" They apparently had crashed into his table and slid all the way back against his bar counter where they eventually came to a halt. He had wrapped himself around her body so tightly during their transition, that he took all the outer impact, shielding her from everything they had hit and it was because of this, she realized, that she didn't feel like she had every single bone broken inside of her. He shielded her. _Again_. Pushing herself up, she cried out a sob, seeing that Lucifer had his right wing twisted in a horrifying angle. Moving her hands over his chest and up to his cheeks, she took a hold of his head, raising it to look at him. "Lucifer!? Hey, Lucifer! Please... Look at me! Come on Lucifer… Look at me!"

His eyes were on half mast, looking glassy and right through her, although a distant smile on his lips showed up. He was heavily rasping for air and his breathing had a frightening bubbling sound accompanying it. Her foreboding was confirmed when he started to cough blood and his whole body started to shiver once again with heavy tremors. He had severe internal injuries.

A firm hand touched her at her shoulder. "Chloe. My queen, please…" a voice rang urgently.

With shock she reluctantly tore her eyes away from Lucifer and stared back at Zuriel, who had stepped up behind her.

"You said you make him mortal, correct?" His light blue eyes stared at her intently.

"I… I… " she panted, gathering her thoughts. "Y-yes… yes I… I make him vuln-" She sucked in a breath in shock, turning back to Lucifer as the realization hit her. "Oh my god!" He was bleeding, his wing looked broken, he had taken apart half of his livingrooms' furniture with the impact of his wings and back, which meant his backside was probably riddled with splinters of glass and wood, not to mention that all his torture wounds seemed to have torn open again during their travel back. He hadn't been bleeding like this in hell. But now it looked as if he was at the brink of dying in the next few minutes, if she wouldn't do something. "Oh no…. No no no no _no_!"

She sobbed, leaning back down to Lucifer's face, cupping his cheeks with shaky hands as she placed her forehead against his. "Lucifer… I'm so sorry… please… hold on… I'm so sorry." She took in two heavy breaths, her tears dripping down onto his cheeks. "I have to go. I need you to hold on, Lucifer. You gonna be okay." She pulled her head up and brushed her lips onto his forehead, planting a desperate kiss before she reached out to her side, grabbed a hold onto one of Lucifer's bar stools and pulled herself up. With a swaying and stumbling walk, she rushed to his elevator. _Please, you have to hold on… please Lucifer…_

The elevator ride seemed just as endless as everything else before. _Why the fuck is everything taking so goddamn long!?_ Biting on her lower lip she wrapped her arms around herself, noticing just now her own look. Her blouse and jeans were soaked with blood and sweat, and covered in dirt, ash and God knows what. _Yeah, damn it, God DOES know what!_ Her mind gave out an angry rant towards Lucifer's dad, before she ran her fingers through her hair, thinking about what to do. When the doors finally slid open, she raced outside, through the empty club and the main entrance door onto the side street. Heavily panting she stepped to the road, raising a hand towards the next cab she saw approaching. With a huge sigh of relief, she realized that her badge was still tightly attached to her jeans. When the cab slowed down, she didn't wait for it to come to a halt and jumped in, flashing her badge.

"LAPD! Drive!" she panted, as she had almost thrown herself into the backseat.

"A-Alright, ma'am. Where to?" the young driver asked nervously, frowning as he glanced at her through the rear view mirror, seeing her bloodied outfit.

"Just fucking DRIVE already!" Chloe frantically shouted, gripping onto the padding of the passenger seat in front of her, all her thoughts directed at Lucifer, desperately wishing for him to hold on until she'd be so far away from him that her effect of mortality on him would break off. What a freaking mess and heartbreaking irony. At first she had done everything to get close to him and save him and now… now she had to get away from him as fast as possible.

* * *

She quietly shut the door behind her and rested against it. Her heart was still hammering madly. This was certainly far enough away, she thought, but how was he doing? Had she been fast enough to get away from him to not bleed to death? The sound of his pained groans and exhausted cries during their ascend still rang in her ears like a sickening echo, adding to the cracking and smashing of his body against his furniture, maltreating his back and wings yet again in a seemingly endless cascade of misery and torture. She could still hear the rasping breaths he took as his lungs sounded to give in to the excruciating pain from the wounds he carried, could still feel his heartbeat thundering, threatening to burst out of his chest. Her vision suddenly blurred and she realized she had been quietly crying.

 _Keep it together, Decker. He's gonna be fine. He's Lucifer Morningstar. Son and Wrath of God. He's an angel and the freaking Devil. He's gonna make it._ "You better make it, Lucifer, or I'll go straight back to hell again and drag you out just to be able to shoot you."

With a shuddering breath, she combed with her fingers through her hair, wiped her tears away and focused on her surrounding. Her home. She needed some quiet. Some safety. Some comfort. Someone to sooth her nerves that felt on fire. Someone to tell her it's all gonna be okay and she could let herself fall and believe. Her eyes roamed over the sideboard and her lips began to tremble again from the overload of emotions, seeing a picture of her Dad, proudly lifting her little self up. Yes, she desperately felt like she could use some comfort from her Dad now. The knowledge of her father being most certainly in heaven, which existed for real, gave her a gentle soothing brush over her soul. _I know you're with me somehow, dad… And if you were here, you'd tell me, things are going to be okay. That I just gotta take one step after another. Baby steps. Gaining back stability and ground._ She took a deep breath. Then another. And another, continuing until the aching in her heart ceased and she could hold herself together again. One step after another.

Walking into the living room, Chloe took in the remains of what seemed to have been an amazing afternoon for Trixie. The floor was covered with ropes, black robe-like clothes and all kinds of ninja toy weapons: Throwing stars, gloves with claws, tiny daggers and a bow. She sighed, shaking her head with an eyeroll. Well, at least Maze figured to not give her any _real_ weapons at hand. She glanced towards the clock. _What the heck? It had been just about one and a half hours since Lucifer and I had been to Tate Langdon's place? Holy freaking banana pie! How long was it in hell? Lucifer had been there for about 20 hours, so… that would be about two days in hell in total?_ Her head spun for a moment and she poured herself a glass of water, downing it in one go, and then another one right after. _Okay, so… basically I wasn't gone for a long time, meaning that it's not even been two hours since I called for Maze to go after this tattoo Langdon guy. So she is still away, probably following some weird traces nobody else could pick up..._

She crouched, grabbed a bag Maze had left behind, and began to gather all the equipment. Cleaning up was after all also supposed to be good for your mind, wasn't it? At least it let her mind focus on something else than… hell. And Lucifer bleeding out in his penthouse. _Fuck. Okay… cleaning up…_ She let out a quiet snort, when she picked up the toy weapons, imagining Trixie in full ninja display. She could easily see how Maze was a great role model when it came to her daughter becoming a fierce fighter. But Chloe was glad that she herself was there to give Trixie a better feeling of justice and gentleness. Maze was still rather new to the legal system and rules of humanity, and emotions were a completely different galaxy for her to understand.

"Ouch!" She flinched and dropped one of the toys as a stinging pain stung in her right hand's palm. _Damn it, that was sharp - Wait, what?!_ Shocked her eyes fixed on the small dagger, a thin shiny edge on both sides shimmering inauspiciously. _A sharp knife? For my daughter to play with!?_ Her eyes narrowed. _Maze… I'm going to kill you…_ Angry and annoyed, but on top of all massively exhausted, she put the sharp knife away and used a clean kitchen towel as a quick bandage.

Shaking her head she decided to just call it a night. She desperately needed a shower and hit the pillow for at least six hours, she figured. Tiredly she pulled herself upstairs and took a short glimpse into Trixie's room. _There's my little monkey, looking all happily exhausted, hugging her ninja barbie._ Oh, how much she wanted to walk inside and hug her, hold her for dear life. But she was vast asleep. Peaceful. And she herself was still wearing her dirty, blood-covered clothes with one sleeve ripped off her shirt… Certainly not a nice view for a child. Sighing quietly, she retreated and leaned the door ajar before heading to the bathroom.

Breathing heavily, she rested her palms against the sink. Her skin felt hot and dry, dehydrated, really. Splashing her face with some cold water felt good, but didn't help her all too much. She got out of her clothes, put aside her service weapon and noticed she had something crackling in her pants pockets. Reaching inside she cursed. Her phone had basically been crushed. How was it possible for this day to get any worse? She briefly took a glimpse into the mirror and got the answer. _Holy shit…_ She swallowed. Her body was still covered in bruises and bite marks, even thin cuts from Lucifer clawing at her skin when he took her, claimed her in every way. But all the marks he had left on her body were fading and healing. In addition to the reminders of that night however, she noticed fresh scratches on her knees and arms and wondered how she had gotten them. Probably some time during her visit to hell. And then of course there was the small fresh cut in her palm. Tossing aside the kitchen towel onto the pile of dirty and torn clothes, she stepped into the shower, turning on the water to a lukewarm temperature.

The water felt strange on her skin, different than how she had expected it to be. She figured, the water would feel heavenly to her exhausted body, but instead, it felt like a shower of needles. Irritated and by somewhat of an instinct, she moved the regulator to cold. Immediately her muscles relaxed, calming her inner heat that seemed to daze her mind. This was better. Much better. Even though she felt like it just helped temporarily. Having showered for a good twenty minutes she eventually snuggled into bed in an old long-sleeve and comfortable sweatpants.

Halfway covered by a set of light blankets, she rolled onto her side, staring out through the window, light tremors rushing through her. _What the heck is going on? Please, please, please, I really cannot use a damn chill right now…_ She felt for her forehead. _Yeah, certainly not good…_ Taking several deep breaths, she snuggled deeper into the bedsheets, curling into a ball. Her hand subconsciously reached to her neck, caressing the most valuable jewelry she had. _Please be alright, Lucifer…_ She desperately wanted to know he was doing alright. As her phone was broken, she thought about praying to him. But it wasn't the same. She would need to direct her prayers to his angelic alter ego which he didn't like all too much and then the communication line would only work one way. She wouldn't get an answer from him. All she would be able to do, was let him know that she was fine. And thinking about that, she realized, if she were to tell him that, she would be lying. She wasn't fine. At all. She was hurt. Feverish. Exhausted. And if the dreamland would take her into its hold, she predicted sleep would give her yet another hell to go through. So she didn't pray. At least not to _him_.

* * *

 _Bloody hell, Dad! Why this never ending series of agonizing torture? Usually you're all for the heart-aching, subtle, sentimental, gut wrenching pain, and not the tormenting, gory, physical one! Can't I have my body in one piece for a change?_ He grunted, his vision blurry and his hearing muffled. His back and wings hurt like a bitch. When all of a sudden something warm touched his cheeks, it was a pleasant change to everything else. He swallowed thickly, wincing. _Did it work? Are we back? Is… is she safe?_ His mind reeled back and forth, spinning and making him feel sick.

He took in a breath through his nose, but was immediately regretting the deep intake of oxygen as his insides felt on fire. He hissed and coughed, noticing that something wet was dripping from the corner of his mouth and ran down his jaw and throat. He blinked. Again. And again. It was hard to keep his eyes open. _Damn it... I've never felt this tired in my whole existence…._ His frame and head suddenly were being shaken by an external force, making him groan out, feeling the pain rush through all of his body. There was a ruffling and thudding sound and something higher. As his vision began to clear, he immediately smiled the moment he recognized Chloe was with him.

Continuing to blink again several times he tried his best to stay awake. Eventually his hearing cleared as well and he was able to listen to the words Chloe and Zuriel spoke towards each other, although his mind just wasn't really able to keep up. The sweet rush of vanilla closed in on his nose, when a second later Chloe leaned down to him and rested her forehead again his. He wanted to talk but instead just gasped for air, his vision threatening to collapse again to blackness.

"...so sorry…" he suddenly heard Chloe's voice, sobbing and sad, "...sorry… have to go… Lucifer..." His eyes opened in horror. _What?! No! Chloe!_ But it was already too late. She was stumbling away from him and out of his sight. _No… Chloe! Please come back!_ He could see Zuriel stepping to his side and crouching down next to him. The blue eyes of his brother thoughtfully scanned something to Lucifer's right. He looked hesitant. "Wha-" Lucifer tried to speak, but had to cough heavily. He swallowed several times until his throat felt okay to give it another try. "What's w-wrong?" he pressed through his teeth, panting flatly.

Zuriel's brow rose up in wonder. "The question should be 'what _isn't_ wrong?', brother." It was strange for him to see Lucifer like this. Yes, he had seen him after his fall, but a long time had passed since then. A lot of fights had been fought, many of them had ended with the Devil barely getting out alive. But those fights had been different to what his brother and lord had gone through now. Lucifer had never before been physically, mentally and celestially weakened like this. At least not all of those things at once.

Lucifer let out a laugh that ended in a grunt. "Guess… that's… m-my luck…" Forcing a bigger amount of oxygen into his lungs, he squeezed his eyes shut, a new wave of pain shaking through him. He tensed his abdominal muscles and tried to push his palms to the ground at his sides to get into a sitting position, but a piercing agony transfixed his right backs' side. He gave in and rested back into his bar's counter again, his eyes falling shut back to half mast. Despite feeling the immense pain his body was in, he knew he was only feeling it to this intensity, because the Detective was close by. And that made his heart ache. She was close, but not _with_ him. He couldn't see her, touch her, hear her...

Carefully Zuriel leaned in closer and reached out and behind Lucifer's shoulder.

Lucifer's eyes widened and his breathing quickened, snapping out of his thoughts. "Wh-what are y-you doing!?" His voice was anxious, but it already happened.

With a fast move, Zuriel gripped onto Lucifer's upper right wingbone and pulled, so that it's alignment was back to its natural positioning. The cracking and crunching sound from the bone and its splinters was dreadful and mixed with the guttural scream of Lucifer, as he was clutching at Zuriel's thigh, just to have something to hold onto.

"G… gaargh! You… bloody, rotten... bugger!" Lucifer grunted through gritted teeth, but strangely felt that his back, although still in pain, felt much better already.

"Sorry," the other angel murmured with a blatant shrug, to which the Devil narrowed his eyes.

He glowered at Zuriel. "Are you _really_ though?"

For a moment both men looked at each other in wonder until Zuriel shook his head with a laugh. "You had this mad look in your eyes. I had to do something about it." Bending further in, he locked his arms beneath Lucifer's armpits and pulled him up until he was in a standing position.

Swaying, Lucifer rested against the counter with his arms, catching his breath. His wings hung semi-spread behind him, as he was too exhausted to lift or spread them and he didn't even want to think about the excruciating pain he'd be in, if he were to draw them back on the light plane. As he looked back through the room he took in the damage he had caused when he and Chloe transitioned back to earth. _Bloody hell, another day of cleaning up this mess…_ He spotted the spawn's drawing and picked it up with a groan. It was crumbled, had small sprinkles of blood at the corner and had an overall dusty feel to it. _Damn ash…_ He took a mental note to put it in a frame behind glass as soon as possible, so that it wouldn't end up completely destroyed, given his current losing streak. Placing it on the counter he turned to Zuriel who stepped to his side and, without a word, slung Lucifer's right arm over his shoulders, supporting him. The tension between his shoulder blades however tore at the gash on his back, making him groan out in pain.

After an agonizing walk to his bedroom, Zuriel carefully sat his lord on the edge, inspecting his back. "Your body is regenerating and repels the splinters already. And the cut will heal as well. You gonna be alright." he spoke with a deep calm voice. Both of them were aware however, that Zuriel did not address the condition of Lucifer's wings. They would need more time to heal than just a day or two. He would be able to fly, yes, certainly under quite a lot of pain. But he wasn't in a state where he could fight for all too long with them.

 _She's gone…_ he thought with a sad expression on his face, not addressing Zuriel's comment. She was far enough away so that he started healing again. He wondered if she had been running. _Maybe she took a cab… to be faster._ He hated it. Feeling her slip away from him, see her leave, because of his bloody mortality around her. He didn't even know if she was hurt or how she was feeling in general… if she had made it out of hell without having gone nuts.

"There it is again, brother." Zuriel muttered, looking at him with a wondering gaze.

"Hm? What is? What do you mean?" Lucifer blinked at him in confusion.

"That look in your eyes." he commented, his voice becoming softer as memories emerged in the back of his mind, from corners not only the Devil had kept his distance from. "I've seen it on you before, but that was a very long time ago. You stood at the outer edge of the Silver City. Michael held your battled body in a firm grip, his spear raised against you."

The Devil swallowed, remembering the scene in an instant, as being a celestial meant to never ever really forget anything. Even if you wanted to. You simply _couldn't_.

"He demanded of you to yield and apologize for your behavior… said that what you were doing would result in your ending. And then… you had _this look_ in your eyes. You told him that your way might bring your own death or it would lead you into the light, but at least you did it your way and that you chose it for yourself." Zuriel took a long breath, analyzing Lucifer's expression. "You had a determination about what you wanted, that was leaving no room for doubts. For questions. For wonders. A determination of self-sacrifice. Admit it, brother. You rather would have wanted for Chloe to stay and you die because of it, instead of having to watch her leave so that you could survive."

"That's not… That's…" Clenching his teeth, Lucifer swallowed thickly, averting his eyes. As if the memory of his blasted, self-righteous, arrogant prick of a brother wasn't horrible enough to think back to, now Zuriel had to bring up the shattering pain of Chloe leaving him. Grinding his jaw, he took an annoyed breath. "Don't you dare think of yourself all too highly, just because you've noticed, Zuriel."

"I wouldn't dream of it." A sly smirk slipped up on the other angel's lips. Lucifer shortly joined with a brief smile of his own, not holding any grudges against him.

A moment of silence spread between them and Lucifer was glad to be able to sort his thoughts. "How long was I gone?" he suddenly mumbled to Zuriel, wondering with a frown. It had felt like an eternity. It had been especially hard for him to keep track of time, now that he had left hell for eight years. Even though he had made a couple of very brief visits, it hadn't been enough time to get accustomed to it again. And when tortured while being down there, the perception of hells time played its devious tricks on your mind, making you think, you experience something for years, while in fact it were mere hours and counting in earth time it would only have been a handful of minutes.

Zuriel sighed. "You were gone for a total of about one hour on earth." Both knew how calculations worked for hell and that this meant, that Lucifer had experienced hell for approximately two entire days. But it might as well have felt like months for him...

"Only _one_ bloody hour!?" Lucifer exclaimed in anger and surprise. "Bloody hell, that's… that's…"

"...hell?" Zuriel suggested with yet another sigh. "Quite discouraging to hear, I imagine…"

"You have no Dad-damn idea!" he grunted back enraged. This was disastrous. He had only been gone for an hour, but his physical form had been harmed so much, that he would feel the effects of it for at least a few more days. Not only that. Chloe had literally gone through hell to find him and he wasn't sure how she was actually handling her trip. She had walked through hell's landscape for hours and hours. _She must feel so exhausted…_ Given the fact that she was merely a human, he felt a choking anxiety in his chest. He remembered how seconds in hell had changed Malcolm, when he had been brought back to life. Of course, Chloe hadn't been dead and suffered a hell-loop, but still… how would wandering the endlessness of hell and the encounter with monstrous nightmares be any better? "Walk me through what happened, will you? What happened to her when Gadreel brought me away?" he went on, panting slightly as he checked his back with his right bandaged hand, brushing it over the skin he could reach, noticing that the splinters were one after another slowly being repelled.

Looking around shortly, Zuriel rolled his shoulders, drew back his wings to be more agile in the confines of Lucifer's bedroom and took a seat on the leather chair in the corner opposite of his lord. "She…" He licked his lips, hesitating briefly. "She prayed to me." He swallowed and looked back at Lucifer. "She said… she prayed to you, too."

Dipping his head forward, Lucifer nodded, exhausted. "Yeah…"

"How is that even possible?" Zuriel muttered, leaning forward and resting his arms on his thighs. "How does she _do_ that? Pray to us… _fallen ones_?" He looked back at his lord questioningly, confused but also intrigued.

It was indeed a strange thing, Lucifer thought. Chloe didn't seem to be described with the usual adjectives that would fit for a human who got into contact with celestial affairs. First and foremost she wasn't the least bit scared of the Devil himself, but held Lucifer high on his virtues and the goodness she saw inside of him. She was immune to his charming ability to make people spill out their innermost desires, she made him mortal when in closer proximity to him and in addition to that could pray to him. _And if all of the above wasn't odd enough already and wouldn't leave you utterly confused, there's the ultimate miracle that she actually loves me… She truly loves me._

He felt a rush of sadness washing through him when he thought back to their nights at his and lastly at her place. His eyes momentarily closed, remembering her lips against his ear. How she cried out his name in pure passion, her fingers digging into his flesh, pulling him closer, wanting him deeper…. Pinching his brows he slowly shook his head. It was heartbreaking to not have her close when he needed her. Not for his body to heal, but for his soul to rest. "I don't know." he eventually answered with a soft but desperate laugh. "I don't know how she does any of these things… praying to me, making me mortal… give me hope. How she loves me and how I cannot imagine to exist without her anymore…"

"Amenadiel said he has blessed her parents, thus making her being born a miracle. He said that Father wanted for her to exist."

"Yes, well… that's true. We just have no clue as to why Dear Old Dad wanted for her to exist in the first place." He ground his teeth, thinking a moment. The pressure in his chest felt suffocating and he hesitated before he continued to speak again. "I just… I just want for Dad to leave her alone and not pull his bloody puppeteer strings on her fate."

Zuriel kept quiet, but nodded. He could certainly understand Lucifer in his wish, but the truth was, how was anybody able to tell what their Father had planned? Nobody knew. Nobody ever knew a damn thing about what He wanted, what He intended and what He planned.

Lucifer knew very well, there was no point in talking about their Father. It had always just been an accelerator for an explosive argument. So he appreciated his brother's silence on God's influence and thought back to Chloe's condition. "What happened next, when you arrived?"

"Well, I freed her. She told me about Gadreel taking you with him. I wanted to transfer back to hell to find you, but she wouldn't let me go alone. She insisted on joining me."

His dark brown eyes gazed back at Zuriel in shock. "Why didn't you stop her? Talk her out of it?"

"I tried!" Zuriel insisted with a sigh of defeat. "She… she became very persisting… I told her that I couldn't take her with me, that my wings don't support the transfer of a human lifeform, so she called for Amenadiel and persuaded him to bring her to hell. We arrived in the outer realms of hell, meeting Cerberus as he was defending the gates…" The angel's voice became lower, sadder, but he pulled himself together quickly, focusing on the story. "We travelled together to the bank of the Styx and took passage with Charon to the center of hell."

"You did what!?" Lucifer growled outraged. "You paddled the Styx, knowing that it's bleeding through to earth!? Have you lost your bloody mind!?"

"There was no other way, Lucifer! And we managed our way without bigger difficulties. We were actually quite lucky not to have been the focus of the interest of hell's creatures. They were far more interested in the breaches than us" He paused, wettening his lips. "In the area of the crypts we found one of the priests that Gadreel's human criminal had marked. He was suffering in a hell loop, but the door wasn't closed. It was very strange… Chloe figured that the other victims of Gadreel were also somewhere in the crypt system. She wanted to help him and the others, but we simply had no time and I wouldn't even be able to bring them to heaven." sighing he looked back at Lucifer. "We had to get to you _first_. After that... It was just close to the palace when we encountered Kushiel, who I took care of and then you know the rest."

Again both angels fell silent, Lucifer being deep in thoughts with worries about Chloe. She could have been hurt so easily in hell. Literally everything in hell could have killed her. Everything was designed for death. For destruction.

"There is one more thing…" Zuriel quietly went on, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Your light inside of her. Before we went to hell, she…" He moisturized his lips, thinking on how to best explain.

Lucifer immediately picked up on Zuriel's hesitation, not able to take it a second longer. "She what?" he pressed on, his gaze piercing.

"She was… getting a sudden fever. The amount of light she carried increased significantly during merely a handful of minutes. And then... she spoke the first language… well… just two words, but still..."

His heart contracted mercilessly. _She had a fever, my light inside her increased in amount and then she spoke our angelic language?_ _What have I done to her? I thought… it would be safe, it felt… so right, to do it… it was… good… it was… perfect. How could this happen to her, if it had felt so right, though?_ He felt the urge arise to get up and fly over to her place, to take back the small amount of his light he had left inside her, to wrap his arms around her and hold her for dear life, never wanting to let her go again.

"-cifer? Brother?" Zuriel asked, again pulling the Devil's focus back and out of his thoughts.

"What did she say?" he pensively looked back at the other angel.

"Vah Shul."

His eyes narrowed in wonder. "Could she tell you anything else, any details?"

Zuriel shook his head. "No. She only spoke those two words, but she didn't really know how she knew or how she could even speak like us."

He recalled a blurry thought he had when he had taken back his light from her in hell. "You said it happened quickly, within a few minutes, that my amount of divinity increased inside of her. I wonder if my divinity was somehow… quickly self regenerating inside of her, while I was slowly losing mine in hell." It would make sense, he assumed. But how was it possible she spoke the angel's language in the first place? How was her body even able to produce the right tones? And why Morningstar, his name? Or did she mean the actual star he created at the beginning of the universe's existence?

"Lucifer," Zuriel quietly spoke up, "You know how much I dislike to talk about faith, but… if there is anyone you should believe in, it's her. She is a very strong human, unlike any others I've seen. You might be worried about your light in her, but have trust in her capabilities."

"I… I do believe in her… I trust her..." he sighed in defeat and glanced down along his body with a sigh. He felt horrible. Physically as much as mentally. Being back on earth, Lucifer knew he had to bow to the timeflow his body had gotten used to. He was tired and exhausted. Not to mention that his body was still suffering from various wounds that had just started healing. And while he desperately needed at least some hours to rest, he knew Gadreel was somewhere, continuing with his plan to unleash the Styx and flood earth with it, turning earth into a topside hell. "Zuriel I… I'm afraid I need to get at least a couple of hours of rest to regenerate-"

"If I can make a suggestion, brother." Zuriel carefully interrupted, standing and stepping up in front of him. "Rest. I will connect with our pious siblings that are currently roaming the city, taking care of monsters that break through. I let you know, in case I learn anything new." Leaning in he placed his right armored hand on top of Lucifer's shoulder, offering a small but supportive smile. He pulled back and walked to the passage towards the living room. "Call me if you need me…"

"Yes… I will. And thank you, Zuriel. For everything." His tone was low, humble. There were just no words to describe how grateful Lucifer really was, that Zuriel had accompanied Chloe on her way, protected her and helped to get through this nightmarish trip in one piece. There had hardly been any other fallen brother that Lucifer had felt connected with in the eons they were condemned to reside in hell. Zuriel, among only a handful of other siblings, had stood at Lucifer's side when demanding their free will, facing their Father with pride and determination. Lucifer had been able to see, whether a brother of his had been truly devoted to the thought of free will, or just blindly followed him, not really understanding the concept of standing their own ground. And Zuriel had been able to see clearly through the fog of their celestial imprisonment as they were not allowed to choose for themselves what they wanted.

Even though he had not seen his lord for a long time and had spent merely hours with Chloe, Zuriel could see the devotion his lord and queen had towards each other. The mightily armored angel inclined his head, before he turned around once more and left, the sound of rustling feathers shortly filling the penthouse and being the only indicator of his departure.

Alone with himself, Lucifer let out an exhausted breath. He checked on his back once more, finding that the superficial wounds had almost completely healed. At least all splinters and shards had been rejected from his body, leaving only the slash in between his shoulder blades to heal. Looking down at himself, he decided to take off the remaining pieces of his dress pants, and put on a fresh pair of silk boxers before laying on his bed. He laid on his back, thus on parts of his wingbones that were coming forth between his shoulder blades and also laying on the wound on his back, both of which was quite painful. But the alternatives were to either lay on his side or stomach, which either way would have been much more painful, given the deep wounds to his thigh and flank. As the last bits of bloody fabric on his body, he removed the blood soaked improvised bandages from his hands, tossing them aside, before being finally able to close his eyes. And as he slipped into dreamland, he was greeted with the captivating smile and sparkling blue eyes of his beloved Detective.

* * *

 **So they are finally back! Yay! But what a bummer, realizing how there were only gone for such a short amount of time while also having gone through such ordeals in hell. What are your thoughts!? Critique? Comments? Love? :D Lemme know what you think! Next Chapter, on Tuesday, and you'll get some insight into Gadreel and Lucifer's background.**


	21. Run Like Hell

Run Like Hell

 **Chapter Title/Song by Iconic Audio**

* * *

"I shouldn't be here!" The man with blond hair cried and trembled.

The room was sparsely lit by a soft light, which's source could not be found. The man in front of him sobbed and winced in pain, his body covered in gruesome gashes, his skin covered in blood. Swallowing he averted his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at him. It was painful to see him like this. "That is not for me to decide. Please…" his voice trembled, his heart heavy.

But the man in front of him shot back at him in despair and agony. "But it is _your_ fault!" The metal rustled around him as he moved, causing him to let out a weak cry of pain yet again.

He clenched his hands to fists, feeling his stomach twist and turn. This was horrible. Yes. He knew it. But he was not the one to pick the punishment. It had not been him to inflict this on the man… Or was it? Did he not have a choice in this? "I didn't want for you to be punished like that." But he knew, even though it hadn't been him to pick and execute the punishment, others had done it. Others had made sure he would stay in here. He silently wondered, why he couldn't simply decide that this would need to change, that perhaps a different form of punishment was… better. But he stayed quiet, pushing the thought aside.

The blonde man groaned and his voice became angrier. "You tainted me, just like you're tainting _her_ now. Look at what you did! She already went to hell! She won't ever rise to the Silver City when she dies! You tainted her soul with your darkness!"

Tears welled in his eyes. He could see her face in his mind's eye. Was it true? Had he perhaps tainted her? Would she be denied access to heaven? His voice trembled. "No… I didn't… Please… brother…"

"Look at what you're doing to me! Look! How can you live with yourself!?" The man screamed at him in a miserably cry, tears welling up from his shiny green eyes. "I was innocent! I was pure! I was a Princeps! And you took _everything_ away from me!"

His eyes rose to look at him. "Gadreel, please… I'm so-"

"No! You don't feel truly guilty for what you did to me. But you should!" Then his voice lowered and softened, becoming pleading. "Brother, I beg you, please... _please_ set me free. Take off these chains... Let my wings heal... Set me free... or kill me. Either way, release me from this eternal damnation… please Samael!"

He felt sick. His eyes glistened as he looked along the chains attached to his brother. He was crucified mid air with hooks pierced through his wings, hands, shoulders, even his flanks, thighs and feet. "I… I… can't… please forgive me, Gadreel, but I can't." Averting his eyes, he turned around, trembling and silently shedding tears for his fallen brother when he left the crypt.

"No! No, wait! Don't leave me! Please brother! Don't leave me! Samael! SAMAEEEEL!"

Lucifer sat up with a start, trembling all over and heavily panting from deep rooted guilt. A dream… Not about his beloved Detective, but a nightmare of his truly forsaken brother. His teeth chattered as he looked over his body and eventually he stared at his hands. The wounds from his torture were still healing, but made a considerable progress towards completion. _The hooks… The chains…_ It hadn't just been a dream. He remembered, it happened to Gadreel eons ago. And now his brother had payed him back, or at least had given him a taste of his own suffering.

He had wanted to forget. Had tried so desperately to lock away this experience, this memory, into the darkest corner of his mind, and to have it eventually fade from existence. The one time that he had stepped into the crypt of his fallen brother. Gadreel had so innocently called out after him, calling him by the name Lucifer had once been created with. Samael. The times when they had carelessly flown through the clouds and the towers of the Silver City seemed so far away now. So distant. But the memory of the time still felt painful nonetheless. The times when there had been no hatred and hurt between them. No accusations. No guilt. Just… peace. All of them had been at peace except one thing had been missing; one tiny, yet such important detail. Nobody had felt it missing except for Lucifer. None of his brothers felt the _need_ for it. It had only been Lucifer who had felt this yearning and with it came the realisation of injustice. Father had _not_ been just to them. They've had almost everything. Peace. Joy. The feel of being needed. Fulfillment. Everything but one thing. Free will, and thus, _true freedom_.

And now… Lucifer felt horrible. He was guilt ridden to his core and felt sick because of it. It was eating him alive. He could still recall the dread in Gadreel's voice, when Lucifer had entered his crypt, as he was pulling at his chains, ripping and tearing at his own limbs. He remembered Gadreel's sobs and cries of pain and despair. How he begged for him to help him. To free him. To kill him. He swallowed thickly, tears trailing down his cheeks and jawlines, when he saw himself turning around and leaving his brother behind. Alone. Confused. Scared. In agony. For eons.

Glancing through his bedroom windows, he realised it was still dark outside. Perhaps only a few hours had passed since he had fallen asleep. He swallowed once more, forcing down the lump in his throat. _Where's this gonna end? What am I supposed to do with Gadreel? Am I supposed to kill yet another brother? This can't possibly be my only option…_ "Is it…?" he breathed with a frown and glanced upwards, hesitating. "...Dad?" But as always, He did not answer. This time however, Lucifer actually felt hurt because of it.

The seconds of his lonely despair stretched on, when he gazed outside again. The city of angels. He looked up at the night sky, observing the shimmering stars. His stars. They are still so beautiful, he thought, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, remembering how Chloe had thanked him for them. How she let him be proud about his work. He focused on his most beloved star, his first. _The brightest and the most beautiful of them all. My Morningstar. Even if everything else will fade away, I know you will always continue to exist. Because I designed you for eternity._

* * *

Maze didn't have the radio on as she wanted to fully focus on her prey. Besides, she didn't want to risk for him to notice her of course and thus, she preferred it this way. Silent and at a safe distance towards him, following, stalking. She had pulled some strings to one of her former employer, a high ranked man working in the state defence, to get access to the phone tracking, but Maze certainly had good cards to play. She had once been hired from a guy who wanted her to protect him from an assassin that was set on him, catch him and find out about the assassins' client. When Maze gave the state worker a call about two hours ago, she used her demonic charms and devious methods to get a favor in return - almost as if Lucifer would do it. Just that Maze isn't always quid pro quo. Usually she takes more than she gets. Eventually.

The two dots of her own Mercedes and the shabby van about a hundred yards in front of her blinked quietly on her mobile display. He wouldn't be able to escape. _Did Chloe say anything about in what condition I gotta hand him over? Don't think so…_ She glanced at the street signs, noticing a direction sign for the St. Brendan Church. _Well, let's have a wild guess where he might wanna go…_ She reached over to the passenger seat and picked up the piece of paper on which she had written the two names of the priests Chloe had given her, among the addresses she had found out with a few simple calls. _So… nearby would be… Father Joseph Byles._ The van ahead of her slowed down taking a turn into Maze's predicted direction. _Yep, he's going for that one. But you son of a bitch won't get that priest. It's been quite some time, since I could have my fun with a scumbag who attacks priests, although Father Joseph most probably would deserve a little punch-up. Lucifer would certainly agree on how very unvirtuous priests so often are… Pathetic..._

At the thought of Lucifer, she felt her chest tighten and it was as if there was a downwards pull inside her stomach. _Damn feelings, making my body go all crazy..._ She hoped he was alright. She had texted them the last days when she was out patrolling pretty much all over LA, picking up the scent of hell at various places, all closeby to the areas were the dead priests had been found. She had given him feedback, but it wasn't really much she could tell, as she, Amenadiel and Zuriel had not so much issues fighting back a the occasional hell beast that managed to crawl up onto the earthly plane. It hadn't been too hard for her to leave the two angels to their doing, when she had seen it was her time to meet up with Trixie for ninja training. But when Chloe had called, Maze did feel this strange downward pull as well. Sure, she had gotten the kid pretty tired out so it was okay to call it a day, but still, leaving her alone just hadn't felt nice.

The van in front of her took yet another turn and eventually parked in the darker spot in between two streetlights. She parks with a big enough distance to him and quietly slipped out of her car, following through the shadows of the buildings and letting herself be swallowed from the darkness as she stalked her prey. Her daggers were lightly attached at the back of her belt although she would probably just knock him out when she got close enough... _Ironic how the hunter becomes the prey without even knowing it..._

* * *

The house was secured. Two of his fellow colleagues from the precinct were stationed inside the house while he waited outside on the street in an unmarked police vehicle. Father Joseph Byles had been shocked from the information about a possible attack and abduction, obviously, and had been very cooperative in trying to help catch the criminal red-handedly. The cops inside took position at the entrance and at the window inside the house, staying in contact with Dan.

"Everything still quiet outside?" the mic in his ear cracked.

"Yeah, nothing so far. Just some regular folks wandering around." He took a sip of his coffee-to-go and checked the time. It's been over two hours now since Chloe had called him. The precinct had immediately reacted and he hoped that their criminal wouldn't smell a rat. His sharp blue eyes travelled up and down the street, checking through his side and rear-view mirror, while sitting low in his seat, to cause as little attention as possible. A soft rumbling sound approached and he immediately checked the corner ahead of him, watching intently as a rusty, shabby van drove around the corner and came to a halt nearby. Ducking his head, to not be revealed by the headlights, Dan put a finger to his ear. "I think he's here, rusty van, you might see him in the dark spot through the window, Charlie."

"Ah yes, bit hard to spot, but I see it. Still a bit down the street. You wanna get him outside?"

"Just gonna check and be sure first." Dan muttered back and sat back up when the lights of the van turned off. He slipped out of the car and opened the securing clip of his holster, putting his hand on his service weapon. The adrenaline rush kicked in, his senses highly alert, his muscles tensing up. Focusing, he snuck from one parked car to the next, closing in on the man from behind when suddenly the guy stopped and turned towards the bushes to his side. Quickly Dan hid behind the closest trunk, peering.

A rustling and purring sounds came from the bush and the man leaned in towards it, prying into the dark green leaves and branches to see what was causing the sounds. The man's eyes opened in shock and he let out a yelp, when two arms shot forward out of the bush, grabbed him and pulled him into the thicket.

"What the fu-?!" The man's voice was cut off by a punching sound.

Dan gazed over at the bush and pulled out his weapon, aiming at the spot where just a second ago the man had been standing. He got out from his cover, approaching. "LAPD! Show yourself! Hands up!"

A sigh and grumble came from the bush and a dark figure arose. Not yet able to see clearly, Dan stepped closer. "Step forward!" he ordered and tried to see further into the darkness, but to no avail.

"Yeah, yeah! I heard you! The first time…" a female voice grumbled and stepped out onto the pavement into the dim remains of light from the streetlamps.

"What the fuck!? Maze?!" he exclaimed, dropping his weapon with a groan. He stepped around Maze and reached into the thicket, getting a hold onto a collar and pulling out the man, immediately seeing that it was indeed Tate Langdon. "You knocked him unconscious?"

She crossed her arms, dipping her hip to the side casually. "Yeah. I figured Chloe wouldn't want me to slit his throat just yet."

Dan gazed back at her, a dark, scolding tone in his voice as he replied, "Or... not _at all_!" Holstering his weapon, he took out his handcuffs and secured Tate's wrist before talking into his mic. "I've got him, Charlie. He's secured. I'll bring him to my car. Please inform Father Joseph that he's safe and tell the other boys at Father Ericson the news as well."

He got the confirmation of the officers from inside the house and was about to slap Tate awake when he saw Maze lifting him up, not caring about his deadweight.

She gave him a dismissive look. "I knocked him out, I turn him in, I get the money. You get your criminal scumbag."

That was not an offer, Dan instantly realized and rose his palms in acceptance. "Sure. Whatever." He certainly wouldn't dare to ever argue with that crazy woman.

* * *

Whoever might be responsible for pleasant dreams, seemed to be on bad terms with Chloe. While her body was exhausted to the point of cramps and stiffness, making her want to spend a week in a sauna or thai massage center, her mind was subconsciously still running marathons. It seemed that you weren't able to just leave hell behind once you managed to get out of it. Even though Lucifer and her had successfully escaped its strange grasp during their transition through the planes, she now felt as if everything she saw, everything she had felt, was crashing back at her with brutal force. In addition to that, her body felt like it was put into a furnace. Ironically fitting, as her mind was dealing with hell.

Horrible monstrosities in all kinds of forms were chasing her. Her lungs were burning from all the running and she felt like she was about to collapse from a heat stroke. Every cell inside her felt dehydrated, her skin was dry and her lips chapped. The monsters on her heels chasing her through endless tunnels of hell's crypt labyrinth were not slowing down, granting her no break. She took turn after turn, desperately hoping to find her way out, to end up somewhere where she could escape or at least hide. But there was no escape and no place to hide in hell. That was what it meant to be in hell.

The ground beneath her began to change, rip open and pools of black water appeared everywhere around her. She continued to race, avoiding to accidentally blunder into one of the small puddles. Groans and screams added to the growls of the monsters behind her and suddenly white bony hands shot out from the water surfaces, trying to grasp her by her ankles. Lost souls screamed, whined and whimpered, calling for her to help them, or they would make her fall.

At the end of her strength, she felt a small shimmer of hope, when out of nowhere a massive fortress appeared. The door laid ajar and without a second thought, she slipped inside and pushed it close. It made a locking sound and soon after the growling and snarling sounds of the monsters outside faded away, only to be replaced by a sharp, high slashing sound. Surprised, she whirled around and let out a horrified cry, covering her mouth, when she saw Lucifer chained and hung up as if he was crucified. Fallen and distorted looking angels, the punishers, had gathered around him. Their wings were all merely dark rags, being dragged over the ground without any muscles, not even a firm skeleton inside. They were useless and just as much of a deformation as the rest of their bodies. The punishers took turns, punching, cutting and pulling at him. They ripped at his flesh, bit him, poisoned him, all the way laughing menacingly about their atrocious acts of torture.

Chloe's stomach twisted and she felt her vision becoming blurry. "No! Lucifer!" she screamed, desperately, not knowing what she could do. She couldn't attack. She couldn't get away. She couldn't help. The punishers paid her no attention as they viciously maltreated Lucifer, who cried and screamed in unbearable pain. Chloe felt herself trembling all over when her knees gave in and she sank to the ash covered granite tiled floor. Her eyes stayed transfixed on Lucifer, even though her heart was ripping apart, screaming at her to not look, to not destroy herself by watching while Lucifer got butchered.

From the corner of her eye a shape formed out of the darkness, making her startle and immediately crawl backwards. Gadreel. He drew himself up to his full height, towering over her with a sinister grin. Something behind him started to spread out. A set of foggy black wings with sprinkles of green woven into them. His green eyes shortly flamed up. "Hello again, little human." his deep voice vibrated through her bones. He reached behind his back and drew out a mace-like weapon she hadn't seen before. "This time you won't escape me…" He snickered as he leaned towards her, grabbing her by her throat and thrusting her back against the door, holding her in a fierce grip. He hauled off with his mace and instead of striking down on her, he thrusted its sharp spiked tip into her chest. She screamed in pain, feeling how her heart thundered, trying desperately to stay alive. Darkness began to envelop her and she could see Gadreel turning into a black, thick fog, pulling her to him, pulling her into the darkness.

Her eyes ripped open with a cry as she sat up, heavily panting. Her throbbing heart was hurting as it was pumping madly. She clung onto the sheets and pulled them around herself. She shivered, whimpered quietly. Sobbed. No, she was _not_ fine, no matter how much she wanted to tell herself that. She was scared and she desperately needed comfort. Security. But the person she wanted to see most right now was hardly in any shape to give her anything, as he needed time to recover. If he had survived. _Stop! Don't think like that! Of course he survived. He wouldn't give up. Ever._

So she forced herself to rest again. At least for a few more hours. Then she would have some energy to move on and make a few more baby steps to feel whole again.

* * *

 **Yes! It's a bit shorter, I am aware, but trust me, it was necessary to make a cut here. What are your thoughts on this Chapter? I'm super curious :) Next Chapter will be out as usual next Tuesday.**


	22. I've Never Seen

I've Never Seen

 **Chapter Title/Song by Xavier Naidoo**

 ** **The song exists both in English version (made from the artist RZA feat. Xavier Naidoo) and a mixed German + English version called "Ich kenne nichts", in case you want to search it on YouTube. I HIGHLY advice to check out the German lyrics and translate them into English, because they are quite different from the pure English version. You might be surprised to find out just HOW fitting the lyrics are for Chloe and Lucifer.** **

* * *

She leaned down, speaking quietly. "You gotta be quiet when we go in, alright sweety? No loud talking and running around. I don't know if he's awake yet and how he's feeling. Maybe he would prefer us not to be there at the moment." She was beyond relieved that she had gotten a day off, although she had checked up with the precinct before they came to the penthouse, and had been informed that Dan and Maze had gotten a hold on Tate and that he could be interviewed later today. So technically she still had to show up. Not to mention that Gadreel was certainly not caring about her working days. Apparently evil doesn't give a damn about your freetime. Not that she had any real intentions on really resting, since hell was still on its verge of swapping over the banks of earth, but not having to deal with normal police work was at least giving her some pressure relief.

"Sure mom." Trixie nodded, clinging onto her ninja doll. She had walked into her mother's bedroom just about two hours ago, feeling restless. When she saw Chloe looking worn-out and exhausted, she had insisted on her mother talking to her with as much truth as the girl could understand and the result was, that Trixie was both worried for her and Lucifer. She didn't leave Chloe alone until she had enforced her will on her mother, demanding to visit the Devil.

The elevator doors slipped open and both quietly stepped into the spacious living room. Her eyes roamed through the penthouse and when Chloe couldn't see Lucifer she turned to Trixie. "Alright monkey, wait over there in the kitchen. I check on Lucifer's condition first."

Again her daughter nodded, but quietly spoke back in a worried tone, pointing towards the shattered glass and coffee table. "Mommy… what's with all the crashed furniture?" Chloe's story didn't include the literal hell and the travel back to earth, but she bend her story to a degree where she simply told her there had been a lot of bad, very ugly people and it took her and Lucifer a long time to get back to the safety of his penthouse. A few more details here and there and she had found that Trixie was understanding the overall situation. Minus the celestial content, which was, admittedly, quite a lot. Still, she had to make it digestible for her little daughter somehow.

"It had been a really unfortunate crash landing, baby." Chloe said with a slightly pained grimace as she tried to smile, but no, it really had been a horrible crash landing. As it seemed Trixie however was alright with that response and Chloe watched her go over to the kitchen. Chloe put down her jacket and placed two newly purchased phones on the counter. One being a replacement for her cracked one and the other for the one she figured Lucifer had lost in hell. You certainly wouldn't get a connection to it anyways. Glancing shortly over to Trixie, she noticed a sheet of paper on the counter and took a closer look, immediately feeling a deep pinch in her heart. Suppressing tears, she placed the drawing of her daughter back, but she had to fight for self control. She could see the bloodstains from Lucifer as well as dirt and ash on the drawing. _He held onto it when we left hell_ , she thought to herself. _He didn't want to leave it behind…_

Taking a deep breath she composed herself. It was okay now. They were safe. He was safe. She adjusted the holster strap under her arm and noticed the cut from the previous night had disappeared. When she had been shot before, the doctors had told her that she had an exceptionally good healing rate, so it wasn't much of a wonder to her, to see a small cut being gone within a day. At least one tiny thing less she had to worry about.

She then crossed through the big livingroom and carefully snuck towards Lucifer's bedroom, climbed the short flight of stairs and peaked around the corner. There he was. Laying on his back, wings outstretched and slackly hanging over the bedsides, eyes closed and with a soft, relaxed expression on his face. Seeing him peacefully breathing, she felt a heavy weight lifted off from her shoulders. He was alright. _Alive_. Hesitantly she moved closer, inspecting his body as best as she could without touching him. To her advantage he hadn't covered himself with a blanket, probably as to not let any fabric lay on his deeper wounds. She noticed that his minor superficial wounds had all healed up. His palms were still healing, but appeared to be on a good way of being back to normal soon. The gash on his flank and thigh however were still rather deep and would certainly still hurt, but it seemed like the wounds were healing rapidly from inside. He also wasn't bleeding anymore, although his sheets were smeared in dried blood and he looked rather pale.

When her eyes travelled over to his wings, she gasped, but quickly covered her mouth. He didn't react. She leaned towards the top bow of his left wing and looked closer at the membrane. She couldn't help but think of a tortured bird, plucked and having randomly ripped feathers off of its wings. With relief she noticed that where before there had been gruesome gaping and ripped holes in his membrane, there was now soft and thin regrown skin. It wasn't as thick as his healthy membrane, but at least there was _something_ instead of a hole. Happy with his fast recovery progress over the night, even though there were still several wounds that hadn't fully healed, she returned to the living room. He would need something good to eat that would help him get some strength back.

Trixie had found herself a TV magazine she was flipping through and when she saw Chloe return from Lucifer's bedroom, she immediately jumped down from the kitchen chair and looked at her mother with big, pleading eyes.

Chloe sighed. "Sweety, he's still recovering and-"

"But he is gonna be okay? Is he alright?" Trixie interrupted her with a quiet but urgent tone.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, he's alright. But you can't- Trixie wait!" Surprised and totally taken off guard, she saw Trixie rushing around the counter on tippy toes, slipping into Lucifer`s bedroom. Chloe raced right after her. _Holy shit, Lucifer's got his wings out and he's all covered in blood and-_

"Woah…" Trixie's tiny voice quietly breathed as she stood in front of the bed. "I _knew_ it… He _was_ telling the truth. He _is_ an angel." she whispered in awe with a huge grin on her lips.

 _Wait, what?! What the… Damn it!_ "Trix…!" she tried again but wasn't fast enough yet again when Trixie skillfully climbed onto the bed at Lucifer's thighs, without disturbing him. _Great, so now what?_

The little girl took a hold onto the soft blanket at the footboard and pulled it upwards over herself and Lucifer as she carefully laid down in between his left arm and chest, snuggling against him. A brief moment of stillness passed by, where both Chloe and Trixie expectantly waited if Lucifer would wake up, but he seemed to be vast asleep and didn't take notice of the little girl next to him.

 _Wow. He really is totally out right now…_ Chloe stood in the passage for a while, watching as Trixie closed her eyes, a sweet, happy smile on her lips. Lucifer seemed content, if unaware of the small girl. That was enough for Chloe to just leave them both be, so she returned back to his living room. She wanted for him to rest and regenerate. While the two most important people in her life were asleep next room, she decided to clean up the shards and splinters laying around as best as possible, so it wouldn't be so dangerous for Trixie to walk around. And thinking of Lucifer's mortality around her, she figured it would be in his best interest as well.

* * *

The sun was illuminating Lucifer's penthouse and a soft morning breeze washed through his rooms in a cleansing way. He felt warm. Secure. In good hands. Rested. And _something_ tickled his nose. _Hair_ , he instinctively thought.

He lightly huffed out a sniff, still halfway in an enjoyable dreamland for once, feeling unwilling to leave it just yet. Murmuring something incoherent he took in a deep breath and turned his head slightly to his left. There was a sweet scent lingering in the air. Vaguely his dizzy mind told him it's not Chloe's vanilla one, but sweeter, more like strawberries. Something pleasant tickled him at his side, pulling him further out of his dreamstate, making him flutter his eyes open. The light was blinding when the sun mercilessly flooded the bedroom. _Why did I make the sun so intense again!?_

His vision still blurred, he noticed yet another shift at his side, something pressing against him. He murmured once more and blinked several times, adjusting to the brightness in the room. Automatically he rose his right hand to cover himself from the full impact of the sun into his face, when he suddenly saw a pair of big brown almond-shaped eyes gazing back and a sheepish smile grinning at him.

"Good morning Lucifer!" the little girl cheered happily.

"Bloody hell!" he startled, realizing who was resting against him. "Spawn!?" He swallowed and stared at her in shock and confusion. "What… what are _you_ doing here?! And… what are you doing _in my bed_?!"

Pursing her lips she pressed herself slightly further against his side. "I'm cuddling you." her tiny voice said as she looked back up at him from under her long dark lashes.

Lucifer's eyes narrowed. No. That was not it. There was something else she did that woke him up. "But… I mean…" he stuttered and trailed off when he realized that he had his wings on full display. She was even resting on some feathers, so it was impossible for her to not have realized what he was… to not understand that he truly was an angel. And therefore also the Devil. At first glance, she seemed alright and content... "What… _were_ you doing _before_ I woke up?" he inquired more specifically.

Her tongue stuck out the tiniest bit through her teeth as she grinned at him. "I was grooming you." she said, as if it was the most normal thing, leaned over his shoulder and reached to caress over his wingbone.

Upon hearing her words, Lucifer's eyes widened in shock and when he saw her bend forward and her tiny hand closing in on his wing… "No, don't you bloody da-" But it was too late. His eyes fluttered close and he simply could not hold back a soft purring sound emerging from his throat. "Mmmm…." He shuddered in delight, but forced himself to stay stern. He was the Devil for crying out loud! Inhaling sharply, he shook the pleasant thoughts away. "W-would you _please_ stop that?" he pressed through his teeth with a grumpy tone and watched as she leaned back again, withdrawing her hand. He looked at her in wonder as she looked back at him curiously. _Was she actually influenced by the pull the wings had on human minds?,_ he wondered and his eyes twitched. " _Why_ did you do that?" There had to be some sort of celestial magnetism being active. When the wings were pulling on an adults mind so hard they became nut-jobs, what would they do to the mind of a small human?

"You mean, why I stroked your feathers?" she asked back, a bit insecurely.

"Yes…"

Another grin slipped up her lips as she sat up on her knees. "Because you enjoyed it!"

He took a deep breath, his expression changing from wonder to irritation and feeling exaggeratedly affronted. "I most certainly did no-" _Bloody hell, I am not going to lie to that wicked little creature…._ He grumbled, let out a sigh and asked in a challenging manner, "How would you even know?" _Ha! There you have it. Nice catch… Can't let that small human humiliate the bloody Lord of Hell..._

"Because I did it for the past half hour or so and you were purring like a cat and you smiled in your sleep."

 _Dad-dammit, what?!_ His expression faltered in utter degradation. "A CAT!? That's preposterous! I was NOT purring like a-"

And the little girl's both hands were reaching down once more to caress over the fluffy feathers at the wingbone. Instantly Lucifer's eyes fluttered close and he again was unable to hold back a purring sound.

"Mmmm… Okay… OKAY! That's enough!" He eventually broke out of the moment, taking a gentle hold on her hands to stop her from her grooming technique on him, that he found nothing less but humiliating, even though he just couldn't admit that it actually had felt very nice. So what did this mean? She had seen his wings obviously, touched them for several minutes and… she didn't run away from him nor did she mumble any gibberish. She appeared rather… normal, despite her generally out of the ordinary reactions she seemed to have in common with her mother. These women really were some sly dogs… or in the little one's case a sly puppy. "Where is your mother, you devious little offspring?"

"She prepares breakfast for you."

"Oh..." he muttered surprised, blinking. He tried to sit up, but felt she was sitting on his longer feathers. Gently and effortlessly he picked her up, setting her on his stomach before sitting up, with some panting and grunting.

Trixie's face became worried. "Are you feeling better? Mom said you were not feeling well and that you had a rough day yesterday, with lots of mean guys hurting you."

 _What and how much had Chloe told her? Certainly nothing about hell, right?_ He licked his lips, hesitantly answering. "I… guess I had. Yes, child, I'm feeling much better. Thank you." _Damn this tugging feeling in my chest! Wicked little hellspawn making me all… touchy feely..._

The little girl still frowned and Lucifer could see she was trying not to cry. "So who protected _you_?"

He swallowed and stared back at her. ' _But… Who's going to protect you?'_ , he remembered her asking. It felt like it had been weeks ago, yet it had only been a day. For her, at least. "I…" he started, but felt he needed to compose himself a moment so as not to have that annoying lump in his throat. "Actually… in a way... _you_ did." Offering her a warm smile, he pulled her into a thankful and protective embrace. Who could have known that a drawing could protect the Devil and make him hold on for dear life, simply to be able to take this little urchin and her mother into his arms again? Noticing that Trixie appeared a bit confused at his cryptic response, he changed the topic. "Have you had breakfast yourself, yet?"

She shrugged, humming. "A few hours ago I had some froot loops."

He grimaced. "Ugh, seriously? Do you chew on those teeth destructing sugar bricks every day? Come on, let's see what your mother's preparing." He got up, out of bed and held her pressed against his unscathed flank with one arm slung around her small frame. Once he was standing, he realized that he was just in his silk boxers and pretty much all of his body was covered in blood and ash, sticky from sweat. But the Detectives' little rascal was snuggling happily against his shoulder, as if she couldn't care any less. In fact, she was even clinging onto him and even mindful to avoid his wounds. _Had she… missed me?_ He wondered for a moment, before smiling softly. _Well_ I _certainly missed_ her _..._

He let his wings carefully hang in a semi-spread state and walked through the passage into his living room, noticing immediately several things at once. First of all, the mess from the previous day seemed considerably reduced. Remains of glass and splinters had all been removed and the remaining bigger chunks of wood from his table were piled up at the back wall. Another thing he noticed was the soft breeze. It was fresh, coming through the broken window of his balcony. A sizzling sound drew his attention towards the kitchen area, where he spotted Chloe being busy preparing something in the pan. He sniffed the air quietly. "Mmmm… smells lovely." he spoke up, watching as Chloe froze in her movements, gazing back at him. With a slight limping he moved towards her, came to a halt at the counter and smiled tenderly. He was more than happy to have her here, with him. It had been horrible to have her leave in means for his celestial metabolism to kick in its healing process. Her expression however, seemed frozen and not cheerful as he had expected it. Her eyes were wide and her lips parted. It was strange. Did she have a stroke? "Are you… alright, love?" he probed softly, frowning.

The previous night, she had prayed. Not to Lucifer, but to God, his father, even though she felt quite the contempt towards Him. The only other time she had ever done that had been after her own father's funeral, when she had the first couple of minutes to herself to really be alone with her emotions and she not had to be strong in front of everybody else. It wasn't that she had actually believed in God, but she had felt the need to have someone there who knew more about the situation and life than anyone else. And that could only be God Himself. And now, she had prayed again. Not because she blindly believed, but because she _knew_ of His existence. And because she was desperate not to lose Lucifer, after she had been through literal hell to find and save him. Of course God hadn't replied. Chloe didn't expect Him to, after everything she had come to learn about Him. But she had _hoped_ for God to be there for Lucifer while she couldn't. And she had hoped for Lucifer to hold on, for her and Trixie. So that they could have this. This very moment.

Chloe's lips pressed together and she stifled in a shaky breath, blinking several times. She was completely overwhelmed. The image of Lucifer standing in front of her, wings out and carrying Trixie in his arms as she was happily resting against him... It was… bizarre. Unexpected. But it somehow filled a gaping hole of longing and loneliness inside her, that she hadn't realized was there. He was here. Alive and more or less healthy. Smiling at her. And he carried Trixie. Not in a weird, disgusted or awkward way, but actually gently, lovingly, having her relax against him, even though he was still a bloody and dirty mess straight out of hell. And Trixie was alright. She looked happy to be in Lucifer's arms. She had been so worried before and she just would not leave her alone before Chloe had agreed to go and check on Lucifer. She blinked again, this time to push back the tears of joy that welled up and visibly relaxed, smiling back at him with a nod. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." She stepped up towards him and locked her eyes with his. "Welcome back." she whispered, hardly able to hold back the tears now. Smiling, she rose on her toes and swiftly leaned in to peck his lips with a sweet kiss.

Surprised at her move he stared back for a brief moment, wishing she would have let the kiss linger for a bit longer. Their eyes locked for an endless moment. "Thank you." he breathed out softly, spread his wings to fold around them like a protective shield and pulled her closer against him. He leaned down and claimed her lips with his in another kiss, pouring his love and longing into it. Even though it helped his hungry heart just a little, he felt how they both needed this. A moment to relax. To take a deep breath and realize that they were alive. That they still had each other. He wasn't only thanking her for her kiss or the breakfast or his cleaned up living room, but for everything she had done for him. She had risked her life, had been through hell and back for him and although he still wondered how he could ever deserve someone like her, he simply hoped that it wasn't only this sinful thing called pride inside of him, that persuaded him to think he deserved her, but that he, the devil, actually did. That his Father had created her for him, so he had someone he belonged to.

She melted against him, loving it throughoutly to feel him. To see him smile. To feel how he's there, protective, caring, offering her everything of himself. "You're welcome," she whispered when she softly broke away from him.

He caressed her cheek with his free hand, enjoying how the feeling of her skin was causing a tingling sensation inside of him. The smile on his lips dropped a little when he recalled how he had rampaged and executed in his Devil form. She had seen him extinguish his monstrous fallen brethren without any remorse or hesitation. He had been the true Wrath Of God. "I'm sorry, you had to see me like that, back there…" he mumbled abashedly.

"Lucifer… I told you. I'm not thinking any less of you. You're beautiful to me. Like this," she nodded at his wings, "or in any other form." In turn, she put her palms to his stubbly cheeks, getting lost in his dark brown eyes. There was much more she wanted to share with him, much more to give him, but with Trixie around this was not private enough. But she knew, he could see it in her eyes. She felt how her walls were down and he could see all of her, just like he let her see everything of him.

Lucifer nodded, unable to respond with a smart comment and hardly able to comprehend how she could be so good to him. "Thank you…"

She rolled her eyes with a playful grimace. "Although I just said you're beautiful, you should still take a shower, because you're not getting breakfast being this dirty." she smiled and gave him another quick kiss before backing out of his feathery fortress with a snicker. "Breakfast is ready when you're cleaned up."

That made him laugh as well and he relaxed his wings, letting her escape his heavenly hold. "Yes, ma'am!" he spoke with a playful salute.

"Are you two a couple now?" Trixie suddenly rang, still pressed against Lucifer's side, and taking both adults by surprise, making them share a short, awkward look with each other.

"Well… I… I erm… We..." Lucifer stammered and searched for help in Chloe's eyes.

"Yeah, monkey." Chloe responded immediately when she saw Lucifer's insecurity, smiling back at him. "I guess we are." She was about to ask whether or not this was alright for her, given that just days ago she had almost married another man, but Trixie surprised them both once more.

"Finally! I think you should have done that a long time ago." she cheered with a grin directed at both of them. "So is Lucifer going to move in with us or are we moving in here? Can we move in here mom?! This place is really huge! And does that mean Lucifer is my second dad now? Because Lenny at school said, that if-"

"Ahhh! Alright, I think you got stuck on the fast forward button there, you little weasel." Lucifer quickly muttered and carefully let her down on her feet. He sighed when he heard Chloe snickering. "Right, I'm off to the shower…" In a rush and with his head turning bright red, he made a turn and hurried to the bathroom.

* * *

On their ride to the precinct, they dropped Trixie off at home. The little girl had been super excited to do some more training with all the moves Maze had shown her so far. Many of these she could practice on her own so she could train even if the Demon couldn't be with her at times. When they were back on the road, Chloe repeatedly checked the AC if it was working properly and when obviously not satisfied, she pulled down the windows, causing the cars' interior to be ruffled like within a storm. She moisturized her lips again and again and when eventually she wiped her sleeve over her forehead, Lucifer had enough.

He turned towards her, stifling a groan from the pain in his back, and frowned. "Spit it out. What's the matter?" His hair started to lose its perfectly groomed shape, whirling around. It was absolutely not comparable to the wind he enjoyed when driving his Corvette. There he would feel freedom. In Chloe's car he felt like suffering the effects of an ongoing hurricane.

She shook her head with a shrug. "It's nothing, really. I think I just caught something from Trixie."

"That's not _nothing_ , darling." he spoke over the loud noise of the wind. He reached out to feel her forehead and grimaced. "You're hot."

"It's not that bad." she sighed and gave him an eyeroll.

"You're feverish, Chloe." His voice suddenly turned sharp, serious and deeply concerned. He recalled the conversation with Zuriel from the previous night and swallowed. He focused on the vibes that radiated off her, felt into the origin that was the divinity anchored deep inside her. With confusion he realized the amount of the divinity he had let remain inside her, once again, had increased. _Why the bloody hell is this happening?_

"Don't worry. I'll take something at the precinct, okay? I think I still have some Aspirin in my desk."

But Lucifer's expression didn't soften, nor did his concern decrease. "Zuriel said, you were feverish, when you called for him. And... that you _said_ something..." he spoke hesitantly, searching in her gestures and mimic.

She closed the windows and brushed her hair back as best as possible once she felt cooled down enough for the moment. "Right… Maybe it started at that moment. It was a bit… overwhelming. Just like, a sudden heat rush. But then I was _fine_ , Lucifer."

"And you didn't have this fever until now?" he asked, his eyes narrowing sceptically.

She thought for a moment, her mind wandering back. "Actually… I... I have felt sort of hot when walking through hell. I thought it was rather ironic, you know?" She let out a humorless laugh. "I always imagined hell to be… well, hot. But it was cold. And _I_ was the one feeling hot and feverish every once in a while."

He straightened in his seat as he felt all tensed up, and stretched his legs as much as he could, stifling a groan as he accidentally brushed over his wounded thigh. "And... what about the language? You spoke the first language. Putting aside the already _impossible_ , being, that you shouldn't even be able to _vocalize_ the language… you said something specific."

"It was… I dunno. It was happening without me really having any control over it." She looked over at him with a frown. "Zuriel said it was your name. Va... Suul, is it?" She immediately knew it wasn't right. It didn't feel right and she knew when she had first said it, her vocal cords worked differently. Her voice came out of her like literally a tune from heaven. "Ugh, no… it didn't sound like that…"

A small laugh escaped him at her try to re-speak the words. Somehow it felt nice that she had come to speak the words in angels tongue and he did feel a tiny bit sad that he hadn't been able to hear her speak it in person. "Vah Shul." he corrected her, even though his voice didn't feel like a correction at all. Instead it was like he was bathing her in pure light, cradling her in clouds of happiness and contentment. He could see her shiver from the impact of the language on her. He knew it was strange for humans to hear it as it was very emotional. "Like I mentioned, a human's vocal cords aren't made to speak the language… Also, it doesn't necessarily mean my name. It could also refer to my star."

"Oh right… the Morningstar" she remarked quietly, nodding. "Why… why would I have said that? Is it because of your light? I mean, how should it be possible for me to _know_ those words and why say exactly those?"

He had clenched his hands, careful not to brush over his thigh again. His mind wandered to several ideas, but he didn't really feel less worried on either one of them. A full minute passed when he suddenly felt Chloe's hand against his shoulder. She looked shortly back at him, offering him a questioning look, before focusing back on the road.

"Sorry, love." he sighed and licked his lips. "I don't know for sure, but… I'd guess that it's because of my light, yes." They arrived in the parking lot of the precinct and came to a halt. "Chloe… I… I'm so sorry. I mean… I thought the light wouldn't do anything to you and-"

She unbuckled and turned towards him, her brows narrowing in confusion. "You told me that it's harmless. That it doesn't do anything, except that people would notice our connection. Why…" she let out a soft sigh, "Lucifer why didn't you say that this was something new to you? Amenadiel said that he didn't even know this was possible. No other angel has done this before."

He swallowed. "I…" He tried to explain his reasons, but it was hard to find plausible words. "I can't really compare it with anything, Chloe. There was this… this… _need_. I just felt like it was necessary. That is was the _right_ thing to do. And… that it is safe." His voice started to tremble, unsure and visibly overwhelmed with doubts and shame. "Had I known that this could happen, I wouldn't have done it."

"I know, Lucifer. I trust you." she said softly, squeezing his hand in a soothing manner. "What do you mean… it felt like the right thing to do?" she asked, trying to understand.

But he shook his head, feeling confused himself. "Like… a gut feeling. But… more. Deeper. Like… instinct, you could call it perhaps? It's like there was something in the back of my mind that was screaming at me, urging me to do it. After I gave my divinity to you, I could _feel_ you. _Inside_ of me. Like we were constantly linked with each other." He paused, thinking. "I have never felt anything like that before except… except one single time in my entire existence." he smiled softly, remembering. "This feeling of doing something… perfect, something absolutely and purely good, and… right. It was when I-" He suddenly broke off, staring at her.

Irritated at his sudden stop, she frowned and looked him over. He looked frozen and almost as he was in shock. "Lucifer? W-what is it? It was when you _what_?"

He blinked, as if coming back from a journey through his memories. "When I created the Morningstar."

"Was it not the same thing you did? You… kind of gave parts of your divinity to create the star, right?" she carefully asked. When he quietly nodded in return, she smiled. "So it's not really far fetched for me to perhaps say the words, where it has been the only other time you felt this before."

"Maybe…" he reluctantly said, but he couldn't conceal that he had become even more insecure about the situation. _Why the bloody hell did it feel the same when I created the star and when I gave my light to her? And why is all this damn stuff happening to her, when it felt so… so right?_ Sighing he turned around to her as much as the small space would allow him to do. "Chloe… maybe... maybe I should just... take it back. Perhaps your fever would stop, if it really is linked to it. I don't want you to be in pain."

"Lucifer…" she began, the events of the previous day -or days, counting hell's time- racing through her mind over and over again. "I think your light protected me when transitioning through the planes." She took both his hands into hers, gently caressing his palms that she noticed were fully healed up now. A thought crossed her mind and she turned her own palm in his, looking at it in wonder. The cut was gone. Still in thought she turned up her sleeve and inspected her arms. No bruises and small scratches were visible anymore. Everything seemed to have healed up and only soft healthy skin was left, showing no reminders of her harrowing Odyssey through hell. "And… maybe it also _healed_ me..."

"Healed you?" his voice rose in worry and his eyes widened. "Did you get hurt!?"

She gently shook her head again in attempt to sooth him. "Just a little cut last night at home and some small scratches, but… it's all gone now."

He clenched his teeth, thinking. "It makes sense. My feathers have the ability to heal all kinds of wounds of a human. But it's actually my light, that does the work and it is just contained in my wings." Again a moment of silence spread between them as he looked at her, still waiting for her response on his suggestion.

When she realized he was still unsure, she leaned over to him, taking a hold on his cheeks. "I want to keep it." she declared softly against his lips before kissing him tenderly. She couldn't really describe the reasons any better how Lucifer had explained giving her his light in the first place. It felt pretty much the same to her. Like a _need_ to have it. A gut feeling. Instinct. And she felt complete with it.

He was confused about her wish, but at the same time relieved. It had been just like in the moment he had shared his light with her. He would have taken it back, anytime, but he would have felt something missing and be disappointed. Not from her choice, but just from sorely missing the feel of being so connected to her. Savouring the taste of her he shortly nuzzled his nose against hers. "Alright. But when you're talking in the angel language or you have a fever stroke again, I will take it back, okay?"

"Yes, alright." She smiled before getting out of her car with him and making their way inside. "You know, I kinda like you as this overprotective boyfriend." she mused quietly, but knew he had heard her. She noticed immediately how Lucifer stopped dead in his tracks behind her and she could feel his gaze on her. A wicked, playful smile slipped up her lips, but she didn't turn around towards him. She merely tilted her head, so he could see the silhouette of her face. "Do you like the sound of it?"

 _Boyfriend…_ He swallowed, feeling how his mortal body was reacting in strange ways yet again. It somehow seemed he never would get used to the sensations she put him in. _Who would have thought, me, the Devil being the boyfriend to such an angelic woman one day? She's truly performing one miracle after another… Unbelievable..._ "Yes… absolutely." he responded just loud enough for her to hear and a smile slowly tugged at his lips as well, his eyes sparkling in awe. _Bloody hell, I wanna ravish her every - single - day, all day long and drown in her very soul..._

Looking slightly more over her shoulder she offered a whimsical grin. "Are you coming or continuing to stare?"

He blinked, being pulled out from a happy daydream. "Hm? Oh... right… Well… Definitely _both_." he preened himself, grinned cheekily at the innuendo, licked his lips and with wide strides caught up with her, only to lean down sideways to her ear, responding "You, little minx, are one hell of a tease… Lucifer likes." He let out a snicker, when he heard her heartbeat increase a notch and her strides become faster. "Oh you can run, Detective, but you certainly can't hide from the Devil." Although he had to admit to himself, that running was rather painful at the moment when being around Chloe, due to his deeper wounds not having fully healed yet. But the lovely banter and also the desire rising inside of him pushed away any form of pain for the time being.

She rushed into the elevator of the parking lot, already pushing the button, but Lucifer caught up to her with ease, smirking at her like a wolf in sheep's clothing, or the Devil wearing Prada, depending on the analogy. The elevator doors closed and Lucifer stepped up closer towards her, starting to push her backwards and towering over her. "Lucifer…!"

"Mmm… yesss?" he purred, seduction and carnal desire radiating off him as he pressed himself against her, feeling both his and her arousal rise in a matter of seconds. He lowered down to brush his lips over her ear, breathing hotly against it. "I've missed you… I have trouble remembering exactly how you feel… Mmmm…. how you taste… Perhaps you could help… " he cooed in a lascivious way, pressing rougher against her and drawing out a low moan from both of them. "...refresh the memories…"

Chloe bit on her lip in desperate attempts to stay composed, but it was impossible. She had missed him as well, but with everything that was going on, there simply hadn't been any time for her brain to even get started with the whole topic. Lucifer on the other hand… of course he had no trouble thinking about sex, even if he only had a split second to spare. _Damn it! Why did I have to tease the freaking master of teasing in the first place!? Great! I'm sure that the Devil is going to make this elevator ride as hot as hell..._

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 **Muahahah! How did you like it? :D Hope you enjoyed this lovely chapter. I'm super excited to reveal the next chapters to you! This week I finish my master thesis and then I am probably having more energy to finish the last chapters. But don't worry I already have a few more prepared for you ;) Next one on Tuesday!**


	23. Deadwood

Deadwood

 **Chapter Title/Song by Really Slow Motion**

 **Welcome back my fellow Lucifans! How are you doing? I hope you're ready for what's about to happen! :D**

* * *

 _Ping!_

She rushed out of the elevator with a stern expression on her face, fixing her bun so she wouldn't look as sexed up as she felt. _Holy shit, and this had just been like what? Twenty seconds?_ Her heart was still racing madly. _Jesus Christ… that bastard knows how much of a turn on his damn husky voice is for me and the things he did with his lips... Oh Lord..._ She took a deep breath as she strode towards her desk, trying to cool her inner heat down and soothing the burning sensations Lucifer had caused between her legs, without even touching her. Well… at least not _there_. Damn tease. He knew exactly how much she wanted him _right there_...

Lucifer on the other hand took his time, staring at her nicely curved rear as she stormed off, fully content with the sexual arousal she caused in him and the delightful cat and mouse game she played with him. _Oh yesss… one hell of a tease she is…_

"Hey Chloe." Dan greeted, putting aside a file and walking up to her. As he took a closer look at her he tilted his head with a curious frown. "Wow. You look…"

"Like hell? Yeah." she sighed and nodded. Even though she just escaped the hottest elevator ride of her life, she only had a couple of hours of sleep and the celestial torments she had been through the previous day couldn't be concealed by a ton of makeup, which in general she only put on sparsely anyways. "You have _no_ idea." she muttered, rolling her eyes as she noticed Lucifer's snicker behind her.

Dan, being blissfully unaware of what the two had been going through the previous day, just shook his head a bit at her comment. "The suspect is waiting in room number three." Then his eyes narrowed and he leaned over to direct his words at Lucifer. "You know, I was lucky to stop your crazy bodyguard before she could seriously harm him! Can't you put a leash on her or something?!"

"Maze?" Lucifer asked surprised and laughed with a shrug. "I'm not responsible for her behavior. She's a fully independent woman now. You know… the whole… feminism package, claws and demon daggers included. She's responsible for her own actions. Although-" He halted and his expression suddenly turned dark. "I can't say I'm all too fond of the fact that the scumbag _didn't_ seriously get injured… Excuse me..." he grumbled and shortly disappeared into the side corridor.

Dan shifted his stance and glanced after Lucifer and then looked back at Chloe, his expression clearly telling that he was analyzing something, or rather _them_. A small smile tugged at his lips and he shook his head as if he was debating over a thought in his mind. He looked a bit more curious at her and then frowned.

Of course it didn't pass Chloe by unnoticed, how Dan was staring at her like a weirdo for several seconds. Eventually she had enough and crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving him a glare in return. "What!? What is it?"

"Oh it's just…" he started, but words didn't seem to come so easy to his mind. He smiled a bit perkily and shook his head again. After a moment his smile turned into a wide smirk. "He did it, didn't he? That freaking nutjob finally got to bone you."

 _He hadn't really just said that, had he?_ "Jesusfuckingchrist, Dan!" she hissed wide eyed, urging him to drop his volume and make him shut up, because otherwise she found herself compelled to kick him in the balls.

But Dan just rose his hands in defense and let out a laugh. "It's fine by me, Chloe. Whoever makes you happy." He watched her with a gentle smile as she calmed down, before adding in a soft manner, "I know _he_ does."

"Oh… Thank you, Dan." She hadn't expected that. Or at least she hadn't seen that one coming. No, the truth was, she had felt horrible about her decisions concerning Marcus and how she had tippy toed around Lucifer with his own back and forth behavior towards her. She had felt reluctant to meet her daily surrounding and had imagined the dismissive and begrudging looks down on her from her friends and colleagues. But somehow, things turned out differently…

When suddenly a cup of coffee was held right in front of her face, she turned around, seeing a tenderly smiling Lucifer.

"I figured I can't do much about your appearance, but perhaps the coffee will help to wake your spirits." he mused and watched as Dan left with a smile on his lips.

"Thanks." She grabbed the cup from him and took a few careful sips.

"You're welcome." Lucifer pointed at Dan with a curious raised brow. "What was that about?"

She tilted her head in wonder, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "He's… happy for me, I think."

"Oh? How so? I thought Detective Douche won't ever grant you any happiness if it's got to do with me."

She sighed at his comment, rolling her eyes. "I dunno, he just stood there and suddenly he smiled and said he's fine with us being together." And that was… odd. She thought he'd actually be sad if he'd notice it, since Charlotte's death laid merely a few days in the past and seeing her now with someone at her side, made her think that Dan would feel lonely.

"So he really noticed." Lucifer nodded as if to approve of a fact. "It's my light. I'm sure everyone else feels it as well, Detective."

Her eyes widened as she leaned closer to him, whispering, yet still grumpy. "Are you saying, they will all tell me, that we made out?!" _Oh boy, this would be quite a day…_

Lucifer snorted a laugh, shook his head and put his own cup on a side shelf only to retrieve his small silver flask from his jacket. He spiced up his coffee, before taking a sip. _Much better…_ "No, of course not, that surely would be ridiculous. But they will know that we are linked and… _together_ , as you put it." _Mmm yes, I certainly enjoy the sound of saying that._ "Perhaps they feel compelled to tell you, that they are happy for you, but I'd say that's a good thing, don't you think? Oh, do you want a little extra in your coffee as well? It's quite an engine starter for the day." He saw her roll her eyes again and make her way over to the interrogation rooms. _Huh… so strange. Humans and their odd feeling of shame…_ Realizing she was not stopping for him to catch up he quickly ran after her. "Erm… Detective!? Wait for me!" he exclaimed as he followed and slipped into the interview room after her.

When he fully entered the room, he saw the man, Tate, shifting his gaze from the detective and shortly focusing on him, a flash of worry scurrying over his features and breaking the otherwise angry glare he'd given them. "W-what the fuck!? H-how did you escape?" he ranted, his eyes furiously switching between Chloe and him.

Lucifer immediately felt reassured the guy would have deserved a harsher treatment from Maze when he saw the small bruise on the criminals' head. _Just a bloody bump! He deserves so much worse for what he did to my Detective!_ While Chloe sat down at the table, stony-faced, and opened Tate's file, Lucifer stood next to her, sipping at his coffee, silently cursing and looking daggers at him.

Chloe leaned to the mic in the middle of the table attached to a recording device and switched it off. "Good question, Tate. But you're the one in handcuffs now and I'm the one to get to ask the questions. So. We know about Gadreel's plan. Where do you fit in it eventually? I mean, you know how this is going to end, according to him, right?"

Tate's whole posture suddenly changed. He didn't seem surprised anymore. Instead his eyes began to sparkle and a grin spread over his face. "Haha! Yes! It's going to be amazing!"

She frowned. "What do you mean? It's literally going to be hell on earth."

He nodded vigorously, his expression dementedly. "Yes! YES! Isn't that funny!?" He exclaimed and started snickering.

Lucifer joined Chloe in her frown. This was not the reaction either of them had expected. He felt a burning rage rise up inside and his voice became tense and menacingly low. "Funny? You think _hell_... is _funny_?" Certainly not by any standards the Devil himself knew about hell and even less after what he had experienced just the other day.

Tate bit on his lip, unable to stop grinning and began to burst into sudden laughter. "Of course! It will simply crunch you like a freakin' steam roller! It's gonna be quite the show to watch!"

"What in Dad's _bloody_ name are you talking about? You're not gonna have first row seats and eat popcorn, you gonna be _part_ of the human banquet hell will feast upon, you stupid pillock!" Lucifer snarled out through his teeth, barely able to hold himself back.

"What do you mean, you will watch?" Chloe asked, eyes narrowed and closely observing Tate's behavior. He seemed completely mad. She wondered if Tate had actually lost his mind, the way Lucifer had told her human's could potentially do if they saw divinity. And if this was true, she was glad she wasn't losing her marbles when seeing the Devil.

"Well, what do ya think!? I'm gonna be upstairs and watch from above! He's taking me with him!" Tate laughed, his eyes sparkling with madness.

"Above? _Heaven_?" Lucifer growled out in a mocking spat, "Are you _that_ much of an idiot?! He promised to take you to heaven with him? You really believed him this complete nonsense?" When he saw Tate's crazy grin and nod, Lucifer threw his coffee against the left wall, pushing away the pain in his shoulder from where just hours ago a hook had been pierced through. Within the blink of an eye he was up at Tate's face, pushing him back against the wall. "You bloody wanker! You will NEVER go to heaven! This is not how it works! You will end up in hell for what you did, whether that is in the original hell or the hell on earth, but you will _definitely_ be punished for what you have done! I'm personally going to make sure of that!"

For the first time Tate's expression twitched with a hint of doubt. "B-but… he's an _angel_. He… he can bring me to heaven, right? I mean, he promised me-"

Lucifer let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh he promised you, did he now? You don't even know him! He's _outcast_ , little Tate! He's a _fallen_ angel! He _can't_ bring you to heaven, even if you were _supposed_ to go there! He fooled you!"

Tate's eyes widened by the second. "W-what?! B-but… b-but he… I thought… He's got wings… and… his eyes… I thought…"

Everything Gadreel must have said and promised to Tate, in addition to his impressive and intimidating angelic looks, Lucifer knew that Tate's mind had been manipulated. And Tate was going to lose his nuts for real, now that he would see the impact of his mistakes and that there was nowhere to run. Nobody could escape God's judgement system. "Where is he, Tate?" Lucifer growled lowly, trying his best to refrain from applying physical force as Chloe had jumped up right behind him.

The man's eyes watered and he began to tremble. "I… I don't know."

"Oh come on! You have to try a bit harder here! You want a chance for redemption and stepping through the shimmering gates of heaven or not?" Lucifer hissed annoyed. _How comes they always are such bloody wussies when faced with reality?!_

Lucifer's expression and the danger he radiated were intimidating, but Chloe knew he wouldn't do anything that would endanger her job, which included that she was sure of him not threatening Tate or doing anything else the Devil usually considered rather as a persuasion and not curtailment of the man's rights.

Tate trembled all over, tears now spilling freely. He shook so heavily, that his knees were giving in and he threatened to sink to the floor. Lucifer grabbed him by his collar and fixated him.

"Tate… look at me…" the Devil suddenly spoke much more gentle, his eyes capturing the gaze of Tate. He could feel how Tate wanted to look away, but that his will was quickly weakening, his muscles relaxing. The Devil's charm was working quite easily with the man's already broken mind. "Good… good…" Lucifer purred, holding the now glassy eyes of the other man. "Tell me… what is it you want, Tate? What do you desire most in your pathetic little life, hm?"

All resistance, every strength he might have still had until now, was immediately slipping away when Lucifer's words sank deeply into Tate's mind, vibrating through his very soul, no matter how darkly tainted it was. "I… I want to… to… be a different person… I mean… Look at me! I'm just fuckin' wasted! I wanna be… getting along… and be a good artist." Confused about his own words coming out of his mouth, Tate frowned in a daze.

"Right, so you wanna get your act together. You wanna change? Start by telling us where Gadreel is and perhaps you get your second chance." It wasn't as though Lucifer would make him an offer or deal, but it was the truth. Perhaps it would be the first step for Tate to change his life. Or not. It would depend on Tate alone. Lucifer however, didn't really assume he would change, nor did he care.

"But I don't know! He just said he was back at Eden, in his little paradise, to watch as the world would crumble around him. I thought he was talking about heaven or something." Tate continued to sob.

Gently putting her hand on Lucifer's arm, Chloe motioned for him to let Tate down. "And that's all he said?" she probed.

Scared and confused Tate nodded, looking back at them expectantly. "Y-yes."

With a sigh she nodded. "Come on. We're done here." she addressed Lucifer, grabbed the file and went to the door with her partner on her heels. She motioned towards Dan at his desk, that she's done with the interview and that Tate could be further processed.

As a last resort, Tate reached out towards them, but was too scared to actually follow. "Wait! W-where are you going!?" he desperately called after them, completely devastated about his fate of not going to heaven.

Lucifer shortly turned back to him with a satisfied smile on his lips. " _We_ are going _out_ … while _you_ are going _in_. Enjoy your new home. Perhaps we see each other again sometime… I might pay you a visit… or not." With that the Devil shut the door and followed Chloe to her desk.

"Okay, so... Eden." Chloe muttered deep in thought. "Is that a real thing? I mean, Zuriel told me a bit about it, but… Would you happen to have some insight?"

"Yes, yes…. But it's impossible." Lucifer grumbled annoyed, "The garden of Eden was somewhere in today's Iraq. Somehow I doubt Gadreel is sitting in a clay hut in the middle of the desert, while having his operations going on in LA." His voice had dropped in thought, calculating when he watched Chloe check through the files of the dead priests again. "No… he must be _here_."

"What makes you so sure of that?" She looked up at him, scanning his features. He seemed to tense up, his jaw clenching and relaxing as he nervously looked back at her.

"Gadreel, he…" he began and swallowed hard. "He's furious because of me. If it hadn't been for me to talk to him at the gates of Eden then…" _Yes_ , he thought. _Then all of this mess wouldn't have happened._ Lucifer could see the consequences, the snowball effect of his actions, having started eons ago. If he hadn't talked with Gadreel that day, not talked to Eve… everything would have been different. There would have been no rebellion and bloodshed between the angels. Of course, God might have still thrown him out eventually for his everlasting acts of defiance even though he wouldn't have tainted humanity with sins. At least that was Lucifer's logic. And Chloe might have never been created. Or maybe she would have, but certainly not for him, he thought.

But this wasn't the reality. The reality was, that he had messed things up in Eden. Despite the fact, that he had only wanted good for Gadreel and show him free will, he still needed to take the responsibilities, the consequences of his actions. "Father punished him. He marked him with the symbol of his sin. The symbol Tate put on the priests to cause the Styx to go upside down..." he explained to her, his voice weak and full of regret. Ultimately, it was his own fault. Everything traced back to his own actions. "I know he's here, because he told me that he would be, and force me to watch the people I care about die in front of me… watch _you_ die..."

Her eyes softened. She couldn't even begin to understand what he must have gone through in hell. The things he had been told and the things that had been done to him... Zuriel's explanations on what happened prior to the rebellion had giving her a small glimpse of the grudge Gadreel must be holding against Lucifer, but she figured that it was only the tip of the iceberg. "Oh Lucifer…" she sighed, reaching out and gently squeezing his hand. "It's not going to come to that. We will stop him and-"

She was interrupted by a sudden buzzing sound. Lucifer fished for his phone in the inside of his jacket, frowning as he saw the display. Exchanging a look with Chloe, he took the call. "Amenadiel? - Hold on a second." He moved to lean down to Chloe and held the phone in between them, putting Amenadiel on speaker. "Alright, we're both listening."

The noise was disturbing. Growls and screams and all kinds of bashing and slashing sounds rumbled in the background of Amenadiel. "The first crack is several meters wide by now and they all grow faster as we speak! Hell's creatures are getting through the breaches much quicker now, Luci!"

"How quick are we talking?" Lucifer asked. This wasn't a good sign. If the cracks were increasing exponentially then… "Can you still manage to hold them back?"

A grunt crunched through the phone, then a punch and slice before a heavy breathing Amenadiel responded. "Barely. We have Haaiah with us. She's set up barriers for the humans so they see illusions, blocking them from the areas that are affected from the Styx. But we cannot hold this for much longer. We need your help with this!"

Haaiah. Yes. She was definitely helpful in this matter. She was able to set up massive illusions and barriers, being the angel of concealment. It was good that she helped them, but how long was this going to work? How much of hell could she conceal from the human's eyes?

Running his fingers through his hair, Lucifer sighed. He was desperate. They had to find and stop Gadreel. He figured that the whole tattoo-scheme had not even been really necessary, but just a lure to get his attention on the cases eventually. Gadreel probably didn't even need to physically inject ink to spread his mark, he thought. If he's already powerful enough to change planes at his wish with his resurrected-morbid-looking bat-wings, he figured that it was not a far fetch for Gadreel to be able to spread his mark at will, too. There had been a reason after all why Gadreel had additionally been locked up in hell, had it not? "I… I don't know if I can-"

"Lucifer, you have abilities that you can help Amenadiel with, don't you?" Chloe quietly asked, her grey-blue eyes deeply looking into his. She could see that he was unsure. That he felt like he couldn't really help, because he had tried to close the Styx with his powers before, but it hadn't worked.

Pensively he licked his lips and shifted his weight. Again snarls and monstrous growls rang in the background of Amenadiel and he could tell that he and the others had a difficult time. "Detective, I…" he was about to protest, but stopped himself all of sudden. She didn't particularly say it, but she wanted for him to help them as much as he could, even though she would prefer him to stay with her. "Alright, I go. But you stay here and search for anything that correlates with the name Eden or just… any other clues you find with your lovely smart detective brain." Anything to keep her out of the dangers that were breaking through. It had been horrible enough that Chloe had been through hell already. He didn't want for her to have to walk through it again as it was spreading on earth.

Chloe nodded in agreement with a soft smile. "Okay."

"What was that? Luci? Are you coming?" Amenadiel panted heavily.

"Yes, yes, I'm on my way! Hold on." He ended the call and his eyes roamed over his Detective's features in worry and already with a longing to get back to her even before being separated. "Call me, when you have anything new." He swallowed, thinking on a memory that came to his mind, before a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Or pray." he whispered. "I heard you. A bit… distorted through the planes, but… I heard you… Like… heavenly bells in the back of my mind..."

He had heard her prayer in hell, she realized. She had prayed to him when she had been captured and he had been brought away by Gadreel. Back then she didn't even know where to Gadreel had took him, but she felt a big relief to know that he had heard her prayer towards him. Pushing away the tears she nodded, but noticed that neither of them was making another move yet. He didn't leave. And she didn't make him.

He stalled, visibly having trouble to leave. He watched her step close enough, so that they felt each other's body even without touching. Anybody that would see them now, would immediately know their closeness, even if Chloe weren't radiating Lucifer's divinity. She knew that Lucifer and her, according to the office's guidelines, were supposed to be discreet with their relationship. No intimate interactions and no personal romantic-related topics were allowed. Basically this left them with hardly anything to share with each other, when people were around to listen and watch.

"I will contact you, in whatever way works." she whispered, unable to keep her hands from reaching out to his. "Be careful, please." _Because I cannot lose you again…_ she doesn't say. _I love you…_ she doesn't say either. She can't. Not here. Not now. It would sound like a goodbye. And she wasn't going to say that.

Even though Lucifer couldn't mindread, he could see how much she composed herself. So _no goodbyes.._. Nodding he gently ran his thumb over the back of her hand, unseen from anybody. "Of course. Please do too." He parted from her in a rush, and strode off towards the stairs. When already several feet away, he suddenly stopped deadtrack. _What the bloody hell am I doing?_ Finding a strangely liberating determination and inner strength, he turned and stepped back to her with wide, fast steps. "Fuck this bloody nonsense…" he muttered under his breath, grabbed Chloe's surprised face with both of his hands and crashed his lips against hers in a longing and passionate kiss.

The surprise lasted only a second before Chloe melted into Lucifer's touch and responded his eagerness, deepening their kiss until they were both out of breath. Pulling away a few inches from each other, they both panted, smiling. Her hair was a mess again and her cheeks as well as her lips flushed from the heat of their burning desire for each other.

"Right." He nodded approvingly. "I just wanted to make that clear, before I go." Lucifer stated with a perky voice and small smirk crawling up on his lips. He sweetly caressed her rosy cheeks, feeling the eyes of every single person in their proximity on them, but he couldn't care less. He needed this. Her. Why should he bother with what anyone else was thinking, when all that mattered was her?

She trembled from the overpowering feelings he caused in her and returned his loving smile. "Protective and a show off." she mumbled with a snicker and he carelessly joined her.

"Well, I'm just proud, that the most beautiful, fascinating and strongest woman walking earth - and hell, if I may add - calls me her boyfriend." Yes, he had to admit, he actually enjoyed the attention. He was bursting with pride, to be able to shout out to the whole world, that Chloe considered him her boyfriend and he could proclaim the same vice versa. He nuzzled his nose against hers, stole yet another kiss from her and withdrew with a smile, leaving her smiling as well, but also speechless.

* * *

Lucifer had been gone for over an hour and Chloe had wracked her brains over the information they had on the case. She had put together all kinds of pictures from the dead priests, their tattooed symbol, the place of their discovery, and for the past half hour she had put together a list with bullet points concerning Gadreel that she couldn't really explain to anybody else: Gadreel, Lucifer, Angel, Heaven, Hell, Styx, Eden, Gates, The Guardian, Mark from God, Punishment, Rebellion, God, Fall and Hate. She shook her head while writing additional notes on the paper, realizing just how crazy this was. She was a homicide detective working on a celestial apocalypse case that was about to end humanity as they knew it. It wasn't even clear to her, what exactly would happen if the Styx would actually, _really_ break through and flood earth. It was difficult to picture what she had seen in hell transfering onto earth and to have hell's creatures flood over earth's surface like an insatiable swarm of locust… _Holy shit… was that a real thing? A freaking swarm of locust!?_

"Chloe? Hey, you ok?" Dan's voice rang next to her, pulling her out of her thoughts with a startling yelp.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. I was just… I dunno… a million miles away I guess."

He nodded, looked her over a bit worried and pointed at her notes. "You got stuff for the wall?"

She sighed and started to shuffle through some papers as if to not bother about the crazy celestial things she had just written down. "N-no… it's just some thoughts, some brainstorming that-" What she didn't expect was for Dan to actually snatch the piece of paper away from right under her nose with a quick move. "Hey!"

He rose his brows and kept the sheet to himself as she tried to get it back from him. "Chloe, I know you. You come up with great things, even if they might seem a bit strange at first sight. But you're thinking outside the box and we might need that. So, let me see and let's put it all at the wall. Also all the other things you've got lying around here." He grabbed the pile of pictures and a detailed map of LA, and walked over to the pin-up wall he had set up for a better brainstorming process.

Chloe knew what he was going to do with all the things, and she highly approved of it, except for him taking and seeing the notes. He'd laugh at her. For sure. And tell her she's gone completely crazy. Maybe even tell her, that Lucifer somehow must have brainwashed her into believing his metaphors. Only they weren't metaphors at all, which, obviously, Dan wouldn't believe. Why would he? She hadn't believed Lucifer either… until she saw. _Really_ saw...

Dan prepared the map on the wall first and added the photos and notes around the sides. At last he took a glance at Chloe's list and turned towards her with a grimace. "Really?" he asked skeptical and with a sarcastic tone.

 _And here we go…_ "Ugh… it's…" she sighed, trying to come up with something, anything.

He looked at the list again. "Gadreel... Angel… Heaven and Hell and... Styx? Eden and Mark Of God? What the hell Chloe!? Explain this crazy stuff, please. Is this having anything to do with you and Lucifer? Did he do something to you? Drug you or something? Because why on earth would you fall for his crazy lunatic nonsense?"

"Dan!" she grunted, stepped to his side and glared. "Cut. It. Out. This might sound crazy to you and yes, it probably is, but given the circumstances, would you mind to just… go along with the _theme_ of this?"

"Wait, do you mean, you know more about what's really going on here?" His brows narrowed in confusion. Obviously he didn't like to be played around and be kept in the dark and he knew exactly when Chloe was keeping something from him. He could read her well enough and it was easier also given the fact that she was miserable at keeping secrets from anyone.

"Look, Dan. This is serious. You don't believe Lucifer and I get that. That's alright. But it's not about what you believe, but what our killer believes. So we've got to dig into his mind and try to find out what he's up to, where he's hiding, and how to stop him."

"But, we protected the two priests from Tate. You think that this… Gadreel accomplice of him is going to continue?"

"He's not an accomplice. He's the mastermind behind it. So yes," she spoke quietly, her voice heavy from concern. "He will continue. We just gotta find some kind of pattern, some-"

The door pushed open and Captain Morris leaned into the room. "Detective Decker? There's just been a call in from a Mr. Sanders, the neighbour of Father Joseph, the priest Detective Espinoza was protecting earlier today..."

 _Oh no, please… no…_ Chloe swallowed.

"...He heard shouting and screaming, and glimpsed through the side window, seeing Father Joseph on the ground. Please take Miss Lopez with you."

"Of course, Captain."

And with that Captain Morris was already out of the door again, leaving the two Detectives behind.

"Well, shit!" Chloe hissed. She brushed through her hair. "He obviously continued. Alright, Dan, can you please try to make sense out of all this? Just… just look for clues, something that fits together, something biblical or just… crazy. Okay?" She grabbed her jacket and phone. "You told me you're great with those hidden object games, right? So… do your thing."

"Yeah… okay, great. Will do my best, Chlo."

She raced out of the room, picked Ella out of her lab and headed to her car. This was bad. Apparently this priest had been either attacked from yet another thug or Gadreel himself. Either way, something had been different. She knew this was different. Somebody noticed, he had not been abducted and he seemed to have immediately turned up dead, killed most certainly. She checked for the address to go to and called Lucifer.

Ella fumbled on her small cross necklace as they exited the parking lot. "Man, this is totally nuts. I wanna catch this guy so badly you cannot imagine. I mean… those poor priests. I'm sure they didn't do anything to our guy, right? And God? I mean… it's not like the killer can be angry at the big guy for anything…"

"Damn it…" Chloe muttered. _He's not picking up._ She quickly sent him the instruction to meet her at the given location asap and hit the gas. If this priest was also tattooed, if he was also adding to the craziness that was going on with the Styx, another crack was about to happen… and she would not be able to see it. No human would. But they sure as hell would see the beasts emerging from… well, hell.

* * *

 **I am currently working on the last chapters folks! I got a few more prepares as a buffer so you will get your treat every week :) Let me know what you think! Love you lots! Stay tuned! Next one on Tuesday :D Perhaps, depending on how fast I get the last chapters done, you get back to two chapters per week. I try to get them ready for you so you can enjoy them real soon.**


	24. The Wicked

**Chapter Title/Song: The Wicked - Blues Saraceno  
A/N: Welcome back to a new chapter! I told you that action is about to happen once more. Thank you again for all your comments! They brighten my day and drive my creativity even further. Now, I'm not gonna give anything away, but let you get right into it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 24

The Wicked

It was a massacre.

The four of them stood in some distance towards each other, surrounding the biggest breach. By now it had spread up to a length of almost sixty yards and was approximately ten yards wide. The only upside they faced was that the breach occurred in a rather unpopulated side street, but that was about as many pros as they got. Everything else was literally hell.

The three angelic brothers and Maze were engaged not only in struggling face to face combats with dozens of monstrous creatures, but were waging a battle in the air as well. Because unfortunately many beasts from hell were equipped with wings or could fly through other methods, making them maneuver through the area by methods only a celestial mind could comprehend.

Maze's daggers sliced through one throat after another as she whirled around between the beasts, before kicking them back into the Styx' breach. She snarled, furious, and had her demon face revealed, too enraged to care about her appearance. Not that it really mattered, because several miles away on top of a skyscraper's roof, the angel Haaiah was using her powers to conceal the breaches from humankind.

The barriers worked in two ways at the same time. They concealed the breach visibly, but also extended a subconscious impulse to humans closeby, to avoid the area. That way they couldn't see what was going on and wouldn't accidentally walk inside either.

Amenadiel was wrestling with an enormous muscular flying creature, managing to have it grip onto his spear and using his wings to swirl them around until the monster had to let go, smashing into the ground. The pavement surrounding the breach was already close to a post-apocalyptic look: broken, cracked and shattered with deep holes. "Lucifer! DO SOMETHING! We can't go on like this forever!" Amenadiel shouted over to his brother, panting heavily as he made a dive to attack again.

Lucifer used his strength, agility and his heavenly appendages to fight back row after row of aggressive and disgusting looking demons by punching, ripping and slicing down on them with everything he had. Snarling he whirled his wings, smashing his opponents with ease, but on the long run, he felt he was starting to get tired. Amenadiel was right. They couldn't keep up the fight against this flood of monsters forever. He took flight and positioned himself on the side building. The view down into the literal abyss was horrifying, even for the Devil. Earth _mustn't_ get swallowed by hell. The thought of losing what he had gained on earth tore at his heart. Chloe, Beatrice, Linda, Ella, bloody hell, even this moron Daniel he cared about and wanted to protect. No, there had to be something to put a final stop to this. If only he knew what it was. He ground his teeth, staring at the breach to hell as a thought crossed his mind.

The breaches and cracks were widening over time and manifesting themselves onto the earthly plane. They slowly but surely became visible to the human's eye and the creatures from hell would soon have no trouble crossing over. In hell, Lucifer held certain abilities, that were linked to the plane itself and he wondered, since as hell was thrusting its claws into earth, whether this meant that he would be able to exert his abilities on earth now, too. _There's only one way to find out, I guess…._ "Step back from the breach and give it some space!" he shouted down, watching as Zuriel, Maze and Amenadiel followed his orders.

He took a deep breath and began to focus on his powers, seeking the connection he usually felt when he was in hell. Sparks tingled over his face and he could feel his Devil face surfacing. He let it happen and searched deeper for the connection to the dark energies of hell. When he had ruled in the underworld, his own angelic powers had interlinked with the ones he gained in hell, allowing him to not only create light itself, but also reign over fire. That was something he needed right now. The dark brown of his iris began to ignite to a haunting crimson as he felt the connection. It was like a click in his mind, something deeply anchored inside of his very being. Taking another focusing breath, he let his palms rise out, the heat forming from deep within him. His divine powers and the hellfire began to mix and then he channeled it to the area of his aim. "Yo-ragh!"

The sudden blaze was dazzling and in an instant everything was brightly lit by hellfire. A massive wall emerged from the ground, encircling the breach and rising up several meters until the flames closed into a gigantic dome of all consuming flames. Lucifer panted, but a small smirk slipped up his lips at the accomplishment when his face turned back to his human appearance. "Try getting alive through _that_ , you bloody, minging pillocks!"

He watched as Zuriel took care of the last monstrosity that had the misfortune to have come to earth in the first place. He raged several slices down with his sword and sent the creature into the hellfire with a kick, making it scream in sheer agony until it's shrieking sounds faded away.

Lowering back down to the group, Lucifer watched as he saw dark shapes behind the flames, attempting to get through. But by the bloodcurdling sounds of pain, he could tell, that nothing would get past the flames for hours, even days, if he wouldn't command them to subside.

"Got your hell-powers going, huh?" Maze quipped, cleaning her daggers off her pants before sheathing them away.

"Yes… got a bit of a connection to hell up, it seems. The flames should keep them at bay for a while." Lucifer looked at them one by one, seeing they all, himself included, being covered in smears of blood and sprinkles of monster guts. "Lovely… yet another suit ruined…" he grumbled and felt a vibration against his chest. Fishing for his phone of his jacket, he saw he had a missed call and a follow-up text message from the Detective. She had called over half an hour ago. _Damn it_.

"Those flames would come in handy at the other breaches as well, my lord." Zuriel remarked, sheathed his sword to his back and flipped away a piece of gore on his right shoulder-plating with a disgusted grimace.

"I'd love to, Zuriel, but apparently there has been another victim. I have to catch up with Chloe and make sure Haaiah protects the new breach when it opens up… You go help our other angelic siblings across the city. Keep hell's creatures from escaping. I'll get back to you as soon as I can." He looked hesitant, not wanting to leave his friends behind to deal with the breaches themselves. "I'm really sorry, I just-"

"It's fine Luci. Keep her safe." Amenadiel nodded with a small reassuring smile. "Besides. The biggest breach is under control now, so it's easier for us to help our siblings with the smaller ones. Just come back when you can."

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Amenadiel." He checked the location Chloe had sent him and launched off.

* * *

He shook his head in annoyance. _This is just stupid. Completely nuts. Does Chloe really consider this shit to be real or to have anything to do with the case?_ Dan rolled the boardmarker in between his fingers, staring at the wall plastered with evidence photos, a map of LA and Chloe's list of rather crazy stuff. Angels, Hell, Gadreel, Eden, Punishment. _Sure thing. Lucifer probably had put some of his totally fucked up bible metaphors into her head._ Having been raised in a christian household, he still knew quite a bit of the bible and a quick Google search refreshed his memory even more. Gadreel was the angel God had assigned to guard the gates to Eden. Glancing at Chloe's notes again, he sighed.

He hoped that she knew what she was getting herself into with Lucifer and his mental Devil-nonsense. But he knew she loved him with every fiber of her all too good being. He knew it the moment he had noticed the looks they shared, even before the two knew it themselves, although he hated to admit that to himself. Thinking back to earlier, he smiled and shook his head in wonder. _Strange_. He had felt this weird energy between Chloe and Lucifer. It was almost like they emitted some sort of aura. Immediately a feeling of belonging and partnership had been woven into his mind and he knew one hundred percent that she and him had hooked up for real. That they were a thing. That what they had was real. _Yea… really strange, like, how would I know that for sure?_

 _Alright Espinoza. Just… just leave out the whole weirdness and angel stuff for a moment and get on this a bit more… down to earth._ He searched the equipment lockers for a transparency foil and layered it on top of the LA map, before marking all the locations where the priests had been found. One, two, three, four, five and with the response from the Captain, number six, the location Chloe and Ella had headed to.

He tried to find some sort of radius in which the priests had been found, but that didn't really help. Loosely he connected the locations in the order the priests had turned up dead, but he ended up with a weird zigzag line. _Okay… how about we try something a tiny bit religious?,_ he thought and connected the first two locations as well as the third with the fourth location on the map. The lines turned out to be perfectly orthogonally aligned, creating the shape of a cross on the map. But there were two more locations both slightly over the cross, one to the left and one more off to the right.

 _Okay, so what now?_ He tried several connections and forms which all didn't ring a bell and then he suddenly noticed a similarity. _Oh no, you gotta be kidding me…_ His hand moved over the foil, creating a connection from the top point of the cross towards the left and then a line towards the right mark. He grabbed the evidence photo of the tattooed symbol from one of the priests and fixated it onto the map right next to his connected lines. The lines were almost an exact representation of the tattoo. A cross with a sickle on top. But one thing was missing on the LA map. The single dot in the middle of the sickle. He gauged the middle of the sickle on the map and circled it vaguely, rushing over to his computer.

Pensively his fingers flew over the keyboard, his eyes glued to the screen as he searched for buildings within the marked location. He swallowed, gazing in utter disbelief at the name of one company that popped up. He looked over at Chloe's notes and back at the screen. _Fuck. I'm going to lose my fucking mind. This can't be a freaking coincidence..._ He reached for the phone and dialed Chloe's number.

* * *

"Hey, are you okay?" Ella asked carefully. "You got the heat or something?" At first, the young forensic had curiously observed Chloe's behavior in the car when she had fumbled with the AC again and again, but then, she had become genuinely concerned when her friend had started to open all the windows.

"Yeah. I dunno. I recently feel a bit hot, probably caught something from Trixie…" Chloe muttered, although her mind was telling her that this was most certainly not true. She somehow doubted her own words. Lucifer had suggested that it might be his light causing the heat waves hitting her and she felt that perhaps he was right.

A new, hotter wave races through her body and she gripped onto the steering wheel, taking deep breaths. Luckily they had arrived. She had felt dizzy at paying so much attention to the traffic while feeling the fever coming up again, and now that she didn't need to constantly check mirrors and lanes anymore, she felt quite relieved.

"Chloe, when we're done here, you should really go home and lay down. Wait, lemme give you some ibuprofen. I always got something in my mini first aid kit. It should help with headaches that might come up and certainly with the fever." She reached in her bag and retrieved a small red pocket with a white cross on it. Fishing through its contents she got out a single pill blister and handed it to her with a small water bottle from her bag. "Always count on the lab nerd to have something for the right moment," she joked and smiled.

"You're a real sweetheart. Thanks Ella." She smiled weakly and gladly took the medication with several big gulps of the refreshing water. "Alright, let's see what's going on."

Together they went inside the house of Father Joseph. The regular officers had already taken care of securing the building and keeping the neighbor, Mr. Sanders who had heard the noises, from barging inside. He was clearly shaken and could hardly believe what had happened.

"Th-this is crazy! I mean… What sick person would do this to Joseph? He was such a good guy! Such a faithful man, always helping others and... Oh dear god, I think I'm gettin'… excuse me…" covering his mouth, Mr. Sanders rushed off around the corner of the house, retching sounds being heard from behind.

Chloe motioned to a nearby officer. "Please go check on him and stay with him for the time being. We take it from here."

"Alright, Detective," the officer replied with a nod, tapped his cap and went to check on the neighbor's condition.

Ella took the lead into the living room, seeing Father Joseph face downward on the ground. She began a first superficial examination and eventually turned the body. "Well, he certainly put up a fight…" she muttered, "Although, looks like whoever he faced was way above his physical strength."

"How so?" Chloe stepped up to her and crouched at her side.

"See the strangulation marks? That grip on his throat must have been like that of Conan the Barbarian. Phew… Our priest tried to fist fight back, but…" She carefully checked the joints, "yeah almost had guessed that. Several broken fingers. Doesn't look like it's inflicted from our killer, but rather a bad defense of Father Joseph."

"Lemme see his arms." Chloe observed as Ella rolled up the sleeves up to the elbows. "Huh… that's odd. No tattoo. I mean. We caught his tattoo expert thug, but… it seems our killer isn't picking up on the job himself now that his henchman is behind bars."

Ella frowned and continued to inspect the arms of the dead priest. "Yeah, maybe he's not much of an artist- Oh hold on a sec... There's something with the skin up there…" she breathed in thought and pushed back the right sleeve up to the shoulder, revealing a fresh, burned stigma, red and slightly swollen. "Holy moly, looks like our guy switched the ink with a freaking branding iron…"

Chloe frowned and shook her head, having a weird Déjà-vu back to when Gadreel had poisoned her. She had seen this mark before. On Gadreel's arm. "Oh my go-" she breathed, and then another memory hit her. Lucifer had mentioned that God marked him with a symbol of his sin. "He's marking them with his own mark of his sin." Chloe muttered in thought. _Fuck… This really is one hell of a revenge trip from Gadreel… He did get branded from God and now he's down to branding the victims for real..._

Ella turned her head and looked at her confused. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Oh just… just a thought." The branding was an escalation sign. Gadreel obviously wanted to finish his plan as fast as possible and by whatever means he had at hand. This changed the dynamics. She frowned as she shortly glanced through the entrance. No signs of Lucifer approaching. _Damn it…_ "I'll be right back." She stepped out into the side corridor and fetched her phone. No missed reply or call from Lucifer was on her display. She sighed. Just as her finger hovered over the call button, a flapping sound caught her attention, coming from the darkened bedroom of Father Joseph. She stepped in, smiling. Of course Lucifer would make his entrance special in some way, for example by not using the entrance at all, she quipped lightly in her mind. "Hello? Lucifer?" she quietly called into the room, reaching for the light switch.

A broad hand suddenly shot out from the corner to her left and covered her mouth and nose, pulling her backwards. The opposite arm of the attacker slung forcefully around her waist and pressed her in a tight hold. A deep, smooth voice breathed against her ear, dripping of darkness and evoking a deep seeded fear for her life inside her very soul. "Hello again, little human. This time you won't escape me…"

She trembled, remembering her nightmare. _Has he been in my dreams?,_ she wondered with the last bits of remaining consciousness she had. She was wiggling and squirming, trying to scream and shout, but it was in vein. Dropping her phone she tried to find something on her attacker to scratch. _Go for the eyes, right?_ She tried, but her strength was quickly leaving her, not only because of the iron grip around her, but also because she felt like she was burning up from the inside. Not able to form even a coherent thought in her mind she was suddenly pulled backwards into the darkness accompanied only from the dreadful flapping sounds of Gadreel's wings.

* * *

Making a quick pit stop at his own penthouse, Lucifer had quickly changed into more presentable clothes. Conversations with humans simply didn't work well when covered in gore. Having only made a short detour for not more than a handful of minutes he landed quietly and unseen from anyone in a sidestreet opposite to Father Joseph's house. Lucifer swiftly shrugged his shoulders and drew back his wings, wondering for a moment, when he finally would be able to have them heal up for good and have his feathers grow back to their natural beauty. They were still torn and plucked from his torture and now that he had just slaughtered several dozens of hell's creatures, they were covered in blood. He would need another bath sometime soon.

He glanced at the house and strode over to the entrance with a charming smile, addressed at the officer standing outside. "Hello there, officer. I'm with Detective Decker, she is wai-"

The officer smiled back, completely under the devil's charming spell, but also overwhelmed with the recognition he felt between the Detective and the man in front of him. "Ah… yes. Yes I see. You and her. That's nice."

Perplex at the immediate response, Lucifer nodded. "Aaalright…" It certainly seemed like the whole 'people will know we belong together' thing was actually not just amusing to watch concerning the Detective, but apparently it could also come in quite handy. Finally no more 'I'm Lucifer Morningstar, civilian consultant and working with Detective Decker. Oh, for Dad's sake, now let me pass!'. Stepping through the front door, he quickly found Ella, as she took pictures of the body.

"Hello Miss Lopez, sorry I'm a bit late, got into a bit of an otherworldly confrontation…" He knew that of course Ella wouldn't actually believe him to talk the truth, but that he was exaggerating. He counted on that.

"Oh hey, Lucifer. No worries, it's not like you're missing a big party here. Did you have fun?" she rose her eyes to look at him with a smile.

"Did I… what?" he stuttered confused at her response.

"The _otherworldly confrontation._ " she put the words in air quotes, and sighed when he still looked at her perplex. "Drugs, right? I thought you meant you were on LSD or something. Not that I wouldn't condone it if you did, you know…"

"Oh! No… I mean, not that sort of otherworldly confrontation, I'm afraid. It's not Fun-Thursday, is it? I would certainly have preferred a bag of happy pills for sure…" He moved closer to the body on the ground as Ella continued to take pictures of the arm of the priest. "Whoa, hold on there, what's with that?" His eyes widened at the sight of the symbol being burned into the priest's upper arm. _He actually marked him…_ he thought. _Bloody hell, he's inflicted his mark_ directly _..._

Ella sighed, making a sad face. "Yeah, we just noticed it. Not tattooed but actually burned into the flesh as if it's some kind of branding."

"Right… Speaking of 'we', where is the Detective anyways?" He turned and looked around pensively.

"She just went over there towards the bedroom I think." she pointed the way for him, calling out from her crouched position. "Chloe? Hey?! Lucifer is here!"

He followed the direction Ella showed him through a long corridor and entered a bedroom to his right. "Detective?" he asked into the room as he entered, but to his surprise found it to be completely dark. He noticed that he was not feeling her and couldn't hear her heartbeat. He swallowed and reached out to the side, switching on the lights, not that he really needed to, but rather out of habit. Quickly he let his eyes roam the room. _She isn't here._ As he was about to turn back he noticed a phone on the ground. The screen was still showing it's last action, being idle on the contact page of himself, Lucifer Morningstar. _It's hers. Where the bloody hell is she?_ His heartbeat increased to a thundering pace inside his chest. Clenching his teeth he closed his eyes and focused his senses on the vibes of the room. Darkness, death… and hell. It was Gadreel's presence that still lingered like a disgusting and taunting scent in the air. _No… no no no no!_

He hadn't noticed how he had begun to tremble from both rage and fear when something beneath him buzzed, drawing his attention to the ground again. Chloe's phone vibrated over the floor from an incoming call. He picked it up and answered, his voice hoarse. "Yes?"

"Lucifer, is that you?" Dan's surprised voice rang in his ear.

"Yes." he pressed, nervous about what else he should say.

"Hand me Chloe, quick!"

 _Great. Just bloody great._ "W-what is it, Daniel, just spit it out." He couldn't tell him that she wasn't here. He couldn't tell Ella either. And he couldn't tell them the truth about what was going on, not even the slightest bits of it.

He heard Dan's tensed breathing. "It's the freaking symbol! She was right! It's crazy but-"

Lucifer's eyes narrowed in suspicion and cut in with a rough tone. "What do you mean, she was right? Explain!"

Dan continued with an excited tone and speed. "I thought she was talking all crazy stuff with the whole bible metaphors and angels and hell and whatnot-"

Inertly the Devil rolled his eyes and suppressed a growl. "Cut to the point, Daniel! Please! What about the symbol?"

"The locations of the dead priests turn into a big scaled tattoo symbol on the LA map. I connected the points of-"

Lucifer's mind reeled back and forth, recalling the locations and letting the information of Dan sink in. "I understand what you mean," he cut him off again quickly. "Do you have anything else?"

"Yes! God-damn it! There is one spot _missing_. It's the dot in the middle of the sickle."

 _One location. A final location, most certainly. Did he bring Chloe there or did he need another priest to be marked, creating a final crack between the earth and the Styx?_ "And what is at that spot? A church? Are there any other priests living there?"

"No! Nothing like that. It's an industrial area. Chloe gave me a list with names and general words and I checked the buildings located there. There's a building that used to be an arboretum. It was called _Eden's Paradise._ I'll send you the location."

The phone buzzed from an incoming message and Lucifer stared at the screen. He faintly heard himself thanking Dan for the information, ending the call in a trance. _So that sick bastard has Chloe and brought her to bloody Eden!? He wants to have hell on earth? Oh I will raise hell for him… I will give him the freaking APOCALYPSE!_ His eyes shortly flamed up. He felt his insides tingle and had to focus on calming himself down to not have his Devil face surface all of a sudden. He knew Gadreel wanted him to suffer. He wanted him to watch her die. No, he wouldn't let that happen! He had to find Gadreel and be smart about the confrontation. Surprise him. Somehow. Even though Gadreel was surely expecting him.

 _Alright. Okay. Bloody hell, one thing at a time._ He stashed the phone away and went back to Ella, who was curiously sniffing at something in the corner.

"Hey… do you also notice that smell? That's sulphur, right?" she turned to him and continued to irritatedly sniff the air.

Blinking, he felt completely off topic. _What the bloody hell is she on about?_ He stepped over to her, trying to understand what she meant.

She turned to her right and frowned, eyes widening. "Wait, was that there before? It there a crack in the water pipes or something!? Where's that damn water coming from all of a sudden? Shit! That's gonna mess with the crime scene!"

Lucifer's eyes shot open in realization. The dead priest. Sulphur. Water. _Fuck! There's another crack from the Styx happening._ He reached out to the young woman and quickly pulled her back towards himself, seeing that there had been a small rivulet coming forth right next to the priest's body. _Damn it!_

"Hey?! Lucifer, what's wrong?" Ella exclaimed irritated and taken aback from Lucifer's rather harsh pull.

"You can see it, right? The water? That little crack there?" he asked her, staring at her urgently.

"Y-yeah, I mean, it's small but I'm not _blind_. What the heck, Lucifer?!"

"Do _not_ touch it! Do you understand? Not under _any_ circumstances. Stay away from it!" He pulled her around to have her forced to look back at him with all her attention as his eyes seemed to drill into her mind. "Miss Lopez. This is serious!"

Ella frowned, the voice of Lucifer and his behavior being slightly intimidating, but even more so worrying. She could tell that Lucifer was on edge about something. There was a seriousness and graveness in his features that he had shown only at a few occasions before, such as when Chloe had been in danger or a few days ago when they had been at that other crime scene, and three of their people died of mysterious reasons. Lucifer had grabbed a hold of her and Chloe, holding them back and telling them not to get any closer. She recalled clearly the expression on Lucifer's face. He was seriously worried about their wellbeing. "Okay." she breathed, not really sure she spoke out loud. It seemed illogical, she was aware of that. There was no plausible reason and explanation he gave her to do as he asked, but aside from facts and science, she had always been a person of faith. Not just in the guy above, but in people and their good hearts. With Lucifer she felt that he was acting from pure good intentions and thus, she felt she could trust him. Even if she didn't know what was going on.

She nodded quietly. "Okay." she said once more, now certain that it was strong enough to be taken seriously. A moment passed by quietly in which Lucifer just gazed back at her, gauging, obviously wondering if she really meant what she had just said. When he carefully let go of her, his features softened and he fully released her arms. Looking past him into the corridor, she frowned. "Where's Chloe?"

"Get away from here and stay with Dan at the precinct," he spoke firmly instead of answering her. "Please, Miss Lopez. I need you to trust me with this." When she just looked back at him for a several seconds, he suddenly pressed on further. "Now!"

She flinched but his pressure finally made her move. She grabbed her equipment and worriedly glanced at him one last time. "Let me know what's going on whenever you can," she quietly said and went out of the house, taking the officer with her.

He let out a strained breath and glanced at the crack. It was small, still, but growing with every minute that passed. This needed to be secured before other humans could get in the way. Closing his eyes he focused his thoughts towards his sister. _Hello dear Haaiah? Would you mind reaching out with your power and protect another crack with your barrier? It's right where I am._ He waited shortly and saw a shift around himself in the air, a warp that laid itself around the crack, growing with it. _It works._ He reached out in prayer once more. _Thank you, sister. I'm very grateful for your help in this._

His heart ached at the thought of his brethren spread out all across the city, fighting against hell's creatures, unseen from the human's eye. A situation, that Lucifer was well aware he held the responsibility for. It had only come to this because he hadn't been in hell. Because he had decided to leave it all behind and not take the responsibility any longer. To not take the burden any longer. It seemed you really were not able to run away from your responsibilities. They would always catch up with you and bite you in the arse a million times worse than what you could have thought of.

Taking out Chloe's phone again, he glanced one more time at the message from Dan, showing the location of the disused arboretum. Eden's Paradise. He bit his lip, thinking about a plan to surprise Gadreel. He needed something that would startle him, something that would hurt him, something that incapacitated him. His eyes widened as he realized what he needed. _Oh for dad's sake… Of course… Bloody hell, I hope this works..._ Focusing his mind once more in a prayer he reached out to his fallen brother Zuriel. If Chloe had been able to pray to him and Zuriel, then Lucifer himself would be able to reach out to him as well. _Zuriel, brother, I need you to get something for me. You have to be quick about it and be ready for when I call you. I'm counting on you..._

* * *

 **Haha, now did I make it exciting, or what? :D I hope you enjoyed the tension in this chapter. This is basically the prelude to the grand finale (Act 2.2. you could say). A quick shout out to Kittendealer, I hope it's cool with you that I kinda grabbed onto your new Chapter layout. It's so clean and neat. I love ya dear *hugs***. **Once again, thank you all so much for sticking with me on this amazing journey through this story. I hope you have a great time, leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions, I do reply to all of them, I promise. As it currently goes, the next chapter will be released next Tuesday. I do try to hurry up with preparing the last chapters, while still making them as perfect as I can make them. My gosh you are so not prepared for the chapters to come! :D I'm super excited for your reactions, haha. Okay, now I leave you be with this little tease.**


	25. Deep End

**Chapter Title/Song: Deep End - Ruelle  
A/N: A brand new chapter and not only the tension is rising in this chapter but also the heat level! I'm far too excited myself to write anything else, so please, go ahead and enjoy the read!**

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Chapter 25

Deep End

 _What the heck…_ Chloe turned and squeezed her eyes. Everything was far too bright. She felt her pulse and it was skyrocketing. _Holy shit, this isn't healthy… Wait a second… I'd be lying on the ground by now if I'd truly have such a high pulse… Soo… wait, am I having illusions or something?_

Blinking several times she tried to let her retinas adjust. She remembered Gadreel's voice in her ear and she shivered. _Where the hell am I? Did he drug me or poison me again?_ Squeezing her eyes she looked around, only to realize that there was nothing around her. And nothing meant, that she stood in complete whiteness, which was the reason why her eyes still hurt like a bitch. "H-hello?" she called into the nothingness, not even sure if she was loud enough, and given that all that she could see was pure white, she felt stupid talking at all. There was no one there except her. "Hello?" she tried again, her voice stronger, though still uncertain. "Is anyone here?"

As she listened closely she noticed a distant humming. _Well there must be something or someone making that sound… right?_ She began moving. Her mind couldn't comprehend what direction she was taking, as there were no visual markers to use for orientation, so she could only rely on her hearing to guide her. The humming became louder and soon she saw that there truly was something that seemed to create the sound. But her brain had trouble to find words to describe it to herself. A translucent, waving shimmering of white and gold that sparkled midair. It seemed like an elliptical shape, but when she finally stood right in front of it, she noticed it had roughly the shape of a person. Just that it wasn't a person of flesh, but of… light.

She swallowed. _Is this… holy crap… is this… God? Did… did I die?!_ Her pulse felt as if her chest was about to burst, now however, rather from shock than from anything else. She stared, frozen on the spot and felt fear and sorrow crawl up her spine.

"Vah Shul."

The words hit her like a wave made out of fluffy clouds. Her muscles started to tickle on their own and a moment later she felt them all relaxing, her shoulder's lowering from their tensed position. She hadn't even realized she had been so cramped up all this time. It was as if by just hearing the words, she had gotten a full day of head to toe massages in a spa with that soothing atmospheric background music from forest sounds. She felt at ease. Peaceful. She tilted her head, curiously observing the shiny light shape as it rang from it again.

"Vah Shul."

Chloe's forehead wrinkled softly, even though a smile slipped up her lips. "I… I'm sorry, I don't underst-"

"You are… Vah Shul now." The voice rang again, sounding neither male nor female. It wasn't robotic though, just soft like an ocean breeze. "We are both Vah Shul…"

She recalled something in the back of her mind. Zuriel had told her this was the angel's language… and those words meant Morningstar. "We… I… am… Morningstar? What… what does that mean?" _Jesus Christ, I don't even know who the heck I am talking to… and where I am… Yeah… this… this must be some kind of trip I'm on…_ "What are you?"

"I'm his star. The Morningstar… We are both Morningstar… Vah Shul. He created us. I did not have the right shape when he created me... But you have. You need to let the warmth go inside you..."

"What? What do you mean? He created me? Do you mean God? I thought… I thought _you_ are…" Confused she trailed off. _So this isn't God?_ "What? Do you mean the light Lucifer gave me?" Her tone was becoming more urgent and desperately confused. "Tell me! I wanna know! What's happening with me?" She felt like there was something she needed to understand, but this freaking light shape wasn't particularly helpful with its speaking in riddles. It wasn't making sense. _Again… am I maybe having a stroke? Let the warmth in? Wait… do I have a fever rush again? Maybe I am really close to a stroke… I… I really should try and force myself to wake up..._

"Let the warmth go inside you… Let it consume you… become one… And then you are ready..."

The white around her began to fade and from the corner of her eyes she could see that everything became darker. "Wait! Consume me? Become one? Become one with what? And ready for what?" she frantically shouted, but the light was gone and didn't answer. Blackness began to crawl towards her from everywhere. Darkness spread and swallowed the whiteness like a beast until everything had changed upside down and it was only her floating in the darkness that was left behind.

* * *

A stinging on her cheek made her groan and flutter her eyes open.

"Rise and shine, little human." Gadreel's voice rang as he gave her cheek another sharp slap.

She groaned at the painful impact on her face. Even though her vision was still blurry, Chloe could hear that he was grinning. _Fucking asshole..._ She was breathing heavily and her head was spinning.

"I thought that perhaps you haven't survived the transportation. You see… I'm not used to travel with... _baggage_." he spoke disdainfully.

 _Yeah… fucking asshole._ She rolled her head to the side, feeling that it rested against a wall. Apparently she was sitting on a cold floor and leaning against an even colder wall with her back. Glancing up and around herself, she saw all kinds of plastic covered tables, aligned in row after row after row. Above the tables she could see dusty UV lamps and at the backside of the room there were stacks of gunny sacks and bags with fertilizer.

"I admit I didn't notice it the last time we met. I was in a bit of a hurry, to be honest. But now…" He leaned down towards her, sniffing. "Now I smell it. His divinity. You're filled with his light up to the brim which is..." He growled, quietly at first but then he let out a dark laugh and clapped his hands in amusement. "Hahaha! It's brilliant! It's even better than using one of those pathetic priests! You're as pure as a human soul can be. Ha! That makes it all the more interesting to watch you die. The Styx is going to take over earth in no time."

Her throat tightened and her chest hurt. _Wait… what?_... _die?_ Panic began to quickly rise inside of her, but she forced herself to focus. _Where the hell am I? Damn it, I feel like I'm melting... from… inside… It's... so hot..._

Gadreel walked in a half circle around her, watching her. "It's rather interesting… that this is possible. A human carrying the divinity of an angel. An archangel even. He _marked_ you. And you know the bitter irony of this? Now... I will give you _my mark_. A mark of God." he mockingly hissed his Father's name and reached at her. He was surprised to find that Chloe was attempting her best to fight him off her as she began to push herself away to the side. She kicked and threw punches at him, but she merely felt as if she hit a brick wall, even though he let her land her hits. He laughed at her pitiful attempts to hurt him and swiftly snatched her right arm, pulling her into a standing position. "What a feisty little thing you are…"

She was at his mercy. Her body was overheating and it was hard to control any of her movements or to form a clear thought. She was sweating and heavily panting, rasping for fresh air. It was just too warm to focus her mind to… _Let the... warmth... inside…? ...consume me? What do's that ev'n mean I have t' let it co'sum' me? I feel like... I'm secon's from pass'n'…_

Gadreel's eyes narrowed, his free hand shortly brushing over her forehead. "You're rather feverish little pet." he muttered and shrugged. "Don't worry though. You really don't have to suffer the fever for that much longer." Gadreel purred deeply. "In hell you will certainly be tortured in different ways… Hmm… I reckon he will be here any moment now… so let's get this started with, shall we?"

A sudden flapping sound alerted him of a new arrival. Not losing any second, he roughly turned Chloe around in his hold. His left arm slung around her torso with his hand wrapped around her throat. Then he gripped her upper right arm with his right hand. Grinning, Gadreel turned, glaring into the shadows of the hall. "Ahh… So I was right. I knew you made it out of hell. And that means, you must have killed our fallen brothers, right? Well, anyhow. You're just in time for the grand finale, Samael."

With a deep growl, Lucifer stepped out of the shadows, cautiously, his wings stretched out and his muscles tensed. His glowing eyes shifted from Gadreel to Chloe. She was shivering and covered in a film of sweat. Apparently she was feverish again. He bared his teeth. "You have to stop this, Gadreel. Let her go." Seeing Gadreel tighten his hold on her throat, he took a hesitant step forward. "Brother, please… "

Amused Gadreel frowned and gave him an incredulous look. "You? Pleading? That is a first, Samael. Oh wait! No! No, it isn't. You pleaded to me before. When was that again? Let me think... Ah yes! When you wanted to enter the GARDEN OF EDEN, you foul scumbag!" he roared angrily and his expression turned sinister. "Oh, Samael, you cannot save her. I told you… I will make you watch her die." With a hiss the area between Gadreel's palm and Chloe's upper arm began to glow. It lasted merely a second, but he had already achieved his goal. "Now the claws of hell have dug into your soul as well, little human. And hell _always_ takes what it struck its claws into."

Chloe's vision was impacted with a blinding light and a stinging, excruciating pain pierced into her flesh, making her cry out in agony. White and black dots gathered in her sight and then a tormenting heat spread from her arm into her body. Her eyes fluttered exhaustedly and the only thing that kept her standing was Gadreel's rough grip on her. The pain was running at high speed through her body, invading every muscle, every nerve, every cell, and numbing her mind...

Lucifer couldn't believe what he was seeing. Gadreel was actually branding Chloe right in front of his eyes. It seemed so impossible and surreal that it made no sense. In an instant, his heart felt bursting from pain. "NOOO!" he screamed in rage and despair, frantically charging towards his brother.

Instead of having an immediate and direct confrontation, however, Gadreel made use of Chloe's weak body and forcefully pushed her towards the Devil, watching joyfully how his brother's precious human was being ripped away from him.

Changing his momentum, Lucifer caught her just in time before she could impact on the ground. He sank to his knees and let her carefully rest in his lap. "Chloe? Chloe?!" His voice was shaking as he panted in utter shock and fear. _No… no this can't be…_ "Chloe! Please… Wake up, love..." He caressed her face, feeling that she was still burning hot to the touch and covered in cold sweat. Overall though, she was looking so pale... He anxiously felt for her pulse, pressing his fingers firmer against her slender throat, but he couldn't feel anything. He started to tremble. There was no heartbeat. No breathing. Nothing. She lay motionless in his arms. "No. No no no no! No, that can't be… This can't be-"

He felt sick to the stomach and his throat was closing, making it impossible to breathe. Her motionless body lay slack against him and the inevitable conclusion to the evidence was something he just couldn't admit to himself. She simply couldn't be gone. It was not possible to be real, because... how could she be? How could _he_ be here, while _she_ wasn't? Absentmindedly, he reached up to feel his lips, remembering the taste of the kiss they had shared barely two hours ago. And he remembered also that they hadn't said it. Goodbye. They both didn't want to.

He heard himself make a strange sound, a pained whimpering. Then everything around him began to turn into a distant blur and fully faded away when reality finally sunk in. He was too late. He had been at the other side of the town fighting at one of the breaches of the Styx, while she had been unprotected and got kidnapped and… No… no this just couldn't be. He had promised to protect her. The little urchin was not supposed to be without her mother and he didn't know, how he was supposed to live without having her at his side. His Detective. His love. His... everything.

Blinking away the tears that had gathered at the corner of his eyes, he looked at her arm and the branding of Gadreel's mark, the extent of what Gadreel had done to her sinking in. "No… Bloody hell, no!" he rasped in despair, his heart feeling as if it was scratched out of his chest. He had ripped her away from him. She was dead. And the mark was making sure she was denied to go to heaven but was instead forced to go and stay in hell for all eternity. "What have you done…?" he spoke in a whisper, his eyes burning from emotions, tearing him apart. Sucking in a trembling breath, he turned towards Gadreel, roaring. "You blasted bastard! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"A masterpiece." Gadreel quipped with a grin when a thunder rolled through the hall again, much louder this time. The boxes and tables in the hall began to shake and the lights started to swing, indicating an earthquake. Gadreel's eyes lit up with green flames in joyful anticipation. "Finally… The beginning of the end..."

A massive rumble shook the ground beneath them. Hell was literally knocking on earth's surface. _No… no… bloody hell and for fucks-sake! NO!_ Lucifer ground his teeth, desperately and frantically thinking about what to do, but it was near impossible as the shock was still overpowering him so immensely that he was barely able to think. There was just one thought on his mind right now that was strong enough to reach his consciousness: He wanted to bring Chloe away from here, to shield her from what was happening, but there was simply not enough time.

Quickly he looked around and saw the short, mid height wall behind him. He gently lifted her body and carried her over to it. Then, he carefully rested her against the backside of a metal shelf, having her at least covered from Gadreel's direct view. Fresh tears welled up and fled his eyes when a new wave of shock, guilt and grief hit him so hard that all air was pushed out of his lungs. He wanted nothing more than to fly down to hell and literally tear everything down until he would find her soul and somehow bring her back to life. His lungs started burning and he finally took a sharp breath, providing the much needed oxygen to his brain, and a sudden thought crossed his mind. _Maybe..._

He quickly wiped his eyes to see clearly, sniffling back the remaining tears, and he reached to his side. With a grunt, he tore out one of his big prime feathers, pressing it onto her branded arm in a desperate attempt to heal her. "Come on, my dear Detective... Come on! Please, love… Please..." he breathed, pleading while salty drops continued to drip down on Chloe's face. But the branding remained on her skin. She didn't move, and the spark of hope went out again, giving back its space to desperation and sorrow. It hadn't worked. _Of course it can't work, when she's-_ He stopped his thought immediately, biting on his tongue to feel a more prominent, physical pain than the emotional apocalyptic destruction inside his heart. He swallowed down the mix of blood and saliva, and rested the feather against her chest. Then his anger rose. Quicker than the speed of light. And with a scream that raised the roof he sprang up and darted towards Gadreel. "Why did you do that? Why did you kill her?!" he yelled at his brother as his fists flew forward in frantic moves.

Gadreel blocked the blows with ease, pushing him back while laughing heartily at what his brother had become. "This is your own fault, Samael! Someone had to put you in your place!" he snarled and counterattacked.

His heart was so heavy, he was barely able to move. He dodged the others wing at the last second that darted out at him, jumping to the side. "How could you take her away from me?!" Lucifer shouted, his voice shaky as the ache tried get the better of him. He gathered all his strength and lunged forward again, aiming with his left at his brothers ribs while shouting, "You had no right to do that!"

Gadreel sprang to the side to not get hit, and his cheerful mood turned sour. " _I_ had no right?" he repeated in furious disbelief. " _You_ had no right to abandon me!" he hollered, his eyes flaring up again.

"I didn't abandon you!" Lucifer barked in hurt defense. He really hadn't! He just couldn't bear to see the consequences of his own actions. And his brother had been a direct reminder of the result his rebellious behaviour had caused.

"You left me there in the crypt!" Gadreel's dark voice echoed through the hall. "You left me to rot in there! For millennia! And not even once did you bother to visit." He huffed out some air and with a voice that was filled with resentment over the injustice done to him he continued his reproach, "I was all alone while you still had _everything_ you wanted. You weren't even punished for what you've done!"

"Not punished!? I was cast out of heaven and put in hell!" Lucifer shouted in justification.

Gadreel scoffed at the poor excuse. "To _rule_ it!" He shot back. "To rule over us all! While we suffered, you were free to walk the earth. Father still granted you all your wishes," he hissed darkly. His glance swiftly wandered to the leg that was visible from behind the wall and he added scornfully, "He even rewarded you!" Glaring at his brother, who was still on the ground, recovering from the blows he'd landed, Gadreel grunted and shook his head. "You never knew how it was to have everything taken away from you. You never knew what it felt like!" He took another deep breath, exhaling the rest of his anger, and letting joy back in his heart as he declared darkly, "But _now_ you do!"

Hell's fire flared up in Lucifer's eyes at the reminder about Chloe's death, providing him with a new surge of strength. "You don't know what you've done!" he warned him gravelly. "You don't know _how_ special she was." He pushed himself off the floor and walked towards Gadreel.

Suddenly a soft crack echoed through the hall, making him stop instantly, and Lucifer looked into the direction of the sound. Narrowing his eyes, he saw a split in the ground, starting to spread. And then, he could hear it: The screaming and growling from hell's creatures. They were already so close even though the crack was not even widening yet. For a moment, Lucifer considered to simply let it happen. To simply surrender to his pain and let his brother pay for what he'd done. But then, his consciousness kicked in. If he didn't do anything about the crack, hell would swallow the earth, and anyone who meant something, not to him, but to Chloe. He couldn't let that happen. Because if he did, then nothing they'd sacrificed mattered. What had happened to her wouldn't have mattered. And _that_ he just couldn't allow to be. He had to prevent it. For Chloe!

The crack was getting larger. Within seconds it spread and became over three meters wide with the ground still shuddering. _Fuck… this is happening way too fast…_ He took several deep breaths, his eyes locking in on Gadreel, who was retreating slowly from the middle of the hall. He composed himself with all the willpower he could muster. The situation was clear. He had to somehow stop hell's creatures from spilling onto earth. So either, Gadreel could be persuaded to stop his attacks and help end this chaos, or Lucifer would be forced to take care of Gadreel first, so he could then focus on the crack. Those were the only two options he had. Taking a deep breath, he showed his palms in a soothing manner at his brother, and urged him in a calm tone, "We have to stop this, brother.".

"Oh, no," Gadreel retorted and shook his head with a chuckle. "I won't stop! The fun just got started!"

 _So no persuasion then,_ Lucifer thought, curling his fingers into fists and in an instant, both Gadreel's as well as his own massive wings spread out to their full span almost simultaneously, competing with each other in a display of celestial powerplay."I won't let you, brother! I can't!" Lucifer growled, his jaw clenched tightly. His whole body was tensed up and every fibre of him felt on fire, ready to burst out with the energy that he had left.

Gadreel let out a laugh, drawing his mace from his back. "And I really wanna see you back in those hooks again, snake!"

"I don't _want_ to do this, Gadreel…" he pressed on, looking at Gadreel in a daring way. He had no choices anymore. There was no happy outcome possible unless his brother would put an end to this himself, which was unlikely going to happen, yet still, Lucifer could not drop the possibility without addressing it a last time. "Please… brother, don't make me kill you…"

Gadreel let out a vicious growl. Lips curling back, he revealed a set of sharp elongated teeth. His hatred was transforming him further than just his gruesome looking wings. "You don't _get_ to plea anymore, Samael! You forfeited that permission centuries ago!" He tightened the grip on his mace and its metallic spikes began to emit an electrical storm from within. "You left hell, thinking you could simply get out and leave everything behind. Leave _me_ behind. Well guess what!? I'm bringing hell back to you!" With a snarl he pushed himself off the ground and dashed towards the Devil.

* * *

Gadreel's voice had become a distant echo as Chloe's mind was flooded by memories, pictures and voices. They were impacting so quickly on her that she felt helpless and unable to hold herself together. She could feel something wet on her cheeks. _I must be crying… Yes… I must be…_ Tears ran over her cheeks and she thought she could hear herself sniffle and sob, but wasn't entirely sure it was really her.

It was just like they said. You saw things from your life passing by in front of your mind's eye, when you were dying. But what she saw then was not like a gathering of happy lifetime memories. It seemed random and not all of the things were nice.

She saw Lucifer and Trixie, standing in her living room in front of the TV, as they were both singing a duet of Disney songs. Lucifer had even knelt down, exaggeratingly impersonating prince charming, while Trixie giggled along happily. During one moment Lucifer had looked back at her with a soft warm smile and there was a strange sparkle in his eyes. The moment was so full of joy and utter happiness, filling her with love, that she had been completely awestruck.

The memories continued to roll over her, but it became harder for her to notice what had truly happened and which things her mind seemed to fill in on its own. She saw Cerberus fighting viciously and being brutally slashed and beaten by the punishers until he was heavily grunting and wincing in pain. The punishers however, did not cease their malicious attacks and even when the massive hound was whining on the ground, bleeding from severe wounds, they continued to hurt him, on and on and on.

She heard screaming and shouting all of a sudden. The sounds didn't mix right with what she was seeing. The voice she heard was dark and dangerous, but it held a strange beauty in the language. It's the angel language, she realized. _Vah Shul._ This she vaguely understood. _Morningstar._ Her heart raced and flashes of crimson eyes appeared before her. The Devil. Lucifer emerged from the shadows, with his wings outstretched. He was fighting, growling and then there was that voice again. _Yol!_ This time she noticed a second voice that rang along with it and she could almost feel a click in her head, when suddenly the word made sense. _Firestorm!_ Her mind was working on its own as she felt herself being pulled into the warmth of the darkness. _Yul!_ Lucifer's angelic ringing voice thundered again and once more the second layer of a voice translated in her mind. _Fireball!_

The scenery changed and she felt strong arms holding her, caressing her. She could feel warm, silken skin touching her own. There was a hot breath against her ear and a longing and almost desperately affectionate voice spoke to her. With an aching heart she realized it was Lucifer's. _Mine... You're mine… My love… My queen… I claimed you… My light is part of you now… You are perfection… I've made you Vah Shul… My bright shining star… My angel…_ His voice paused a moment as she felt him melt against her, becoming one. _Yes… my angel._

And suddenly she understood. Everything made sense. She felt secure, even though her body was pulled into nothingness. And so she let herself fall and be consumed by the dark warmth that was welcoming her dying body.

* * *

 **Yes, I am a monster... I am aware of my cruelty towards Chloe and Lucifer (and obviously towards you as my readers, too), but they have come out alive from everything so far, haven't they? Have a little faith! Anyhow. Lucifer has come too late to save his beloved Detective and now the confrontation between him and Gadreel is full on. The Styx shows a final crack within the building and hell is knocking against the surface. How is it all gonna continue?**

 **Also, I am aware this chapter is a bit shorter, but for good reasons. The next one will be of similar length and after that you will be spoiled again with nice long chapters ;)**

 **A huge thanks to Cengiz, for helping me big time with structuring this chapter's and the next chapter's content and improving my grammar ;) Gummy bears for you!**

 **Let me know your thoughts, fears, hopes, remarks and ideas! As always I am happy to hear what you think about the chapter. The next is already prepared, ready to be posted next Tuesday.**


	26. Black Sky

**Chapter Title/Song: Black Sky - WAR*HALL  
A/N: Welcome back! I can only recommend having a listen to the song, because it fits one hundred percent to the theme, the feeling and pace of the chapter. Are you ready? Yes? Fight! - Enjoy the chapter!**

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Chapter 26

Black Sky 

Lucifer's body was completely on edge and burning from the inside. The world around him faded as his body and mind focused on Gadreel storming towards him. With his opponent having a heavenly weapon at hand, Lucifer needed to make sure to evade the gruesome mace as best as possible, as he must not have his bones smashed or worse. He let the other angel approach and when Gadreel was only one big step away, Lucifer quickly made a dodge to the side.

Gadreel's strike ended in the air with a hissing shout. He bared his teeth and struck out sideways again and again. The powerful strikes with his mace were leaving behind small tingles of electricity in the air that shimmered for a brief moment before disappearing again.

With a thrust of his right wing, Lucifer cut forward at Gadreel's legs, but his brother managed to jump out of his reach just in time. The ground continued to tremble as the breach in the middle of the room cracked open wider and wider, making the battle ground they were on less stable with every minute passing by. Gadreel's attacks were strong and precise and Lucifer had to focus on the right moments to lash out to manage a hit, while trying to evade counterblows at the same time. Within minutes several of the shelves were bent under the impact of celestial bodies, and crates and pottery got smashed to pieces.

Panting, Gadreel rose up once more, throwing aside a piece of cracked wood. "I've had enough!" he grunted, tightening his hold on his mace; sparks of blue-white lightning began to shimmer inside its tip. "I'm going to extinguish you from this realm, snake!" He hurtled at Lucifer with a heavy push of his wings and slashed down at the Devil.

Too fast and too strong for Lucifer to dodge the attack in time, he leaned back and instinctively raised his wings to shield himself from the blow. The sharp edges of the mace struck the span of his left wing, making him cry out in a sudden, mind-blowing scream. Feathers tore and broke, and the metal sliced a good ten-inch-cut through his membrane. Baring his teeth Lucifer panted frantically like a rabid animal, growling and snarling, pushing away the pain with his willpower, while a load of adrenaline flooded his body. Roaring he spread his wings with a jerk and charged at Gadreel, who was taken off guard by the sudden counterattack. He took a hold onto his brother's armor-collar, pushing him forcefully backwards and in a blind fury, he tackled him into the opposite wall, making the concrete crack by the powerful impact. Then he struck his forehead against Gadreel's, being satisfied to hear a cracking sound of the other's nose, and swiftly used the moment of daze to grab Gadreel's wrist that held onto the mace. Over and over again the Devil viciously smashed his opponent's hand back at the wall in attempts to loosen its hold on the celestial weapon.

Reacting to being pinned against the wall, Gadreel curled in his wings and used their top spikes like claws to attack, lunging them at Lucifer's arms. Lucifer hissed and groaned out, using his own wings to fight back, but every now and then the sharp spikes managed to land a hit and sliced his flesh. A sudden punch to his chest from Gadreel's free arm, made him stumble back a few feet, thus, making him unprepared for Gadreel's counterstrike.

In a big swinging move Gadreel sent his mace flying. The weapon swirled like a throwing axe and its spiked head hit straight into Lucifer's chest, sending him to the ground with a thud. He groaned and his vision began to blur when the blueish lightning intensified in the mace's head. Like a massive electrical surge it sent a disruptive blast into his body. It felt like a million needles were piercing into him. _B-b-bl-lood-d-dy f-f-f-fuck-k-k!_ He couldn't afford to let the pain influence him so much, he knew he had to push it aside, even though his body was crying out to his senses that this was just too much to bear, especially with the torture wounds not having fully healed yet.

Clenching his teeth, he panted out in grunts and slowly raised a trembling hand, managing to get a hold on the weapon as it continued to charge its heavenly voltage into him. He could see burns and blisters starting to show on his hand and he was sure they also had appeared on the rest of his body beneath his clothing. With another forceful groan he pulled the spikes out of his chest, immediately feeling a relief as the pressure and voltage injection subsided.

A massive tremble shook through the spacious hall and the crackling sound of the spreading rupture in the ground was a reminder to Lucifer of what was at stake. The Styx was about to take over and manifest itself. The crack was not just a semi-invisible portal any longer, but had turned into a direct passage and with that, hell could literally flood the earth, drowning LA in a matter of minutes with the rest of the world following straight after. Nobody would survive this in the long run.

The green blazing eyes of Gadreel narrowed dangerously when Lucifer held onto the mace, and he started another charge at him. "That's MINE!" he snarled furiously through bared teeth. He jumped over the big crack with a swing of his wings, the haunted screams and harrowing growls from hell becoming louder as the monsters of the underworld worked their way towards earth's surface. Slicing down with his wings, Gadreel aimed at Lucifer's arm once again, but the Devil quickly used his laying position to roll over the ground, wrapping his own set of wings around himself like a protective cocoon.

Gadreel's wings cut into the ground, but the fallen angel quickly followed Lucifer's move with further attacks at him. Lucifer tried to evade as best as possible but he quickly realized he needed space to move again as Gadreel forced him closer towards the nearest wall. In a blur, he managed to catch Gadreel off guard with an upwards kick, thrusting his brother backwards and thereby giving himself room to stand and shortly catch his breath.

Wild humming and chattering pulled both angel's attention towards the crack behind them. With a blast of dust, a group of little impish, green creatures suddenly shot out from the passage of hell, flooding into the room like a swarm of bats. Only that these were bigger than a sea eagle, covered in scales, and were whipping their sharp tail as they gathered and circled at the ceiling like a hurricane would begin to form a swirl before touching the ground.

 _They're coming… Fuck!_ He knew that the news of a clear passage from hell to earth would spread like wildfire amongst hell's creatures. He had to do something! Fight them, force them back or simply… _hold them at bay_ , he realized. With Gadreel still momentarily distracted with watching the impish creatures circle above them, Lucifer took a deep breath and focussed on his powers he had harbored in hell. He mentally reached out to the connection that spread from the breach. And then he felt it. The tingling inside his veins, telling him, that his divinity and hell's domain were both active and their powers interlinked, allowing him to have the flames of hell at his disposal, just like he had felt earlier at the other breach.

Panting heavily from his body's physical exhaustion, Lucifer focused his powers on the room they stood in. The energy collected in his left palm and in a smooth move, he knelt down on the ground, placing his hand on it. "Yo-ragh!"

A blazing flash surged through the hall and within a second the room was fully enclosed by hellflames. Not only the walls were burning, but also the ceiling was covered in the deadly element. Only the ground stayed cracked and absent of flames, giving them a fixed space to move on.

Gadreel's eyes widened in shock. He stared at Lucifer, not able to conceal his surprise at the unexpected display of his brother's power. "NO!" he barked at him angrily. "This won't stop them! Your pathetic flames won't stop hell from taking over, Samael!"

The green flying creatures were moving more erratic and confused at the sudden flamed dome they were in. They were obviously disturbed and started to try and break through the barrier of merciless reds and oranges, dashing into it in frantic attempts to get through. But each creature that touched the flames shrieked out in pain and wild panic as hellfire latched onto their bodies and burned them to ashes.

Pushing down the rising worry of the inevitability of hell's creatures coming closer, Lucifer started a new wave of attacks against Gadreel, changing between slicing his wings down at him and trying to land hits with the mace. His brother evaded his attacks far too easy for his liking and it was becoming harder and harder to keep up his strength and speed when attacking, as well as maintaining his agility whilst ensuring his own safety. The wound on his chest from the mace's spikes was bleeding mercilessly, and, since it was caused from a heavenly weapon, it didn't heal within seconds, but needed considerable amounts of time to regenerate to the point of not bleeding anymore.

Panting and rasping for air with all of his muscles feeling on fire, he knew he would soon lose his upper hand in the fight, because his stamina was receding rather quickly. He had just one last ace up his sleeve and he knew that he had to use it _now_. He had to try and surprise Gadreel, to overwhelm and stop him.

With his eyes fixated on Gadreel, Lucifer forced his mind to focus on someone who _wasn't_ present in the room. _Zuriel! I need you now, brother! Please don't take as long as Amenadiel needs all the bloody time… Hurry!_ He blinked and was back in the presence and just in time to dodge a punch from Gadreel, but too slow to evade the following series of cuts from his sharp wings. Crying out in pain when the wings sliced into his arms and chest, he stumbled backwards.

Immediately Gadreel took the opportunity and tackled the Devil, thrusting him into the wall behind and therefore into the hell flames of his own making. The flames were wild, but didn't latch onto Lucifer's body. With a firm grip, Gadreel pinned his right arm to its place and used his other to smash his fist into Lucifer's face until it was covered in blood.

The flames licked over his clothes and skin, but didn't attack him as Gadreel pressed against him. He was their maker and lord, he controlled them, not the other way around. Groaning and coughing from the blood filling his mouth, Lucifer felt his fingers involuntarily relaxing. A weak moment that Gadreel noticed with a victorious and beastly grin and easily snatched the weapon out of his hand.

A soft rustle behind them got downed within the sounds of absolute havoc spreading around them, and a blink of an eye later, something silvery shimmering wrapped around Gadreel's throat, tightening.

"Arrgh!" Instinctively his free hand reached up to his throat, trying to get the blasted thing off, that was starting to mercilessly crunch into his flesh.

Staring over Gadreel's shoulder, Lucifer noticed the broad frame of Zuriel. The angel in his black plate armor, which now was covered in cuts and gore, wheezing and rasping heavily. He was obviously quite exhausted from his own fights he had with hell's creatures across the city. _Yess…. YESS! He got the celestial chains from hell.. Let's see how Gadreel chokes on them!_ This was the moment they needed, to overwhelm him, to get the upper hand. It seemed unbelievably ironic and cruel, but it appeared to work. A long time ago Gadreel had been hooked up in these chains, just like Lucifer himself had suffered in them, and now it was time to use them once again on the person they had been made for.

Grunting through clenched teeth, Zuriel held onto the long and heavy celestial chain, pulling with it at Gadreel's throat. "Look what I've found lying around in hell's throne room. How do you like being reunited with your personal chains, brother?!" Zuriel hissed and pulled sharply on the chain, forcing Gadreel to back off from Lucifer.

As he finally got enough space again, Lucifer stepped out of the flames, catching his breath, and spitting out the blood that had pooled in his mouth from the punches he had taken. Chilling shrieks tore his attention towards the ceiling that was still engulfed in hellfire, were he saw the flying creatures, now decimated down to three, gritting their teeth and spiraling down for an attack on him. The little demons charged at his wings, biting and gripping onto his feathers, and slicing into the membranes with their small sharp claws. Although Lucifer desperately tried to have his focus on Gadreel, the constant attacks on his wings were drawing him away from his brothers and keeping him engaged otherwise. He had no possibility to help out Zuriel. _Fuck!_ He knew this had been his only moment to surprise Gadreel and now he couldn't use it, and Zuriel was left alone to face him.

The chain sizzled into Gadreel's flesh, making him groan in anger and pain. "Z-Z-Zur-riel!" he spat wrathfully through his bared sharp teeth, his eyes sparkling in his delirium of hate. A sinister grin slipped up his lips as he felt Zuriel continuing to pull him towards himself. "I figured that another brother must have helped that treacherous snake to get out of hell again… You're too late as well though, Zuriel. Hell has arrived on earth, but you… you won't even get to be in it… I'll smite you out of this universe… both of you!" Zuriel did not expect Gadreel's move, nor had he been able to see his weapon, as he whirled around and with a harsh flap of his bat-like wings, threw himself at Zuriel, his mace flailing down.

Surprised Zuriel felt the tension on the chain giving in all of a sudden and had Gadreel towering over him. Withdrawing backwards he let go of the chain and drew out his sword just in time to be able to parry the forceful blow from Gadreel's mace. But the impact was too strong and Zuriel's grip on his sword not tight enough. With a metallic clank the mace smashed away the heavenly sword, sending it flying aside and out of reach. "Lucifer!" he desperately called out, as he was pushed further backwards. "I could use your help!" He glanced towards the Devil but his situation looked just as bad.

Lucifer's wings got cut on several places and he was bleeding from over a dozen wounds on his chest, arms and legs. He heard Zuriel's call for help, but he neither had the time nor the oxygen in his lungs to be able to respond. The damn flying imps were fast and persistent and wore out the Devil's physical energy rapidly. With heavy breaths he tried to focus his mind on the connection to hell's power and sent out five rapid blasts of fireballs at the little creatures. With horrified shrieks two of them took a hit and smashed on the ground, their bodies getting consumed from the hellfire. The last remaining demon had successfully evaded the fireballs and made yet another attack, aiming at Lucifer's wings. Mustering energy from his limbs, he temporized, and as the creature was close enough, he turned around, and snatched it's leg out of the air, pulling it down and whirling it against the nearest hellfire wall. At last, they were all burnt to cinder, but at great cost of his energy. How many more waves of monsters could he hold back? What was the goal here? He figured that he just couldn't hold back hell's monsters forever. And he certainly didn't want to have Gadreel relish in a world flooded by hell. As his eyes wavered, he spotted Zuriel's sword a few meters away from him while his loyal general faced Gadreel moving in on him with no weapon at hand to defend himself.

A maniacal grin spread on Gadreel's lips as he was relishing in Lucifer's and Zuriel's disastrous failing attempts to stop him. With a roar he launched once more at Zuriel, smashing his mace from side to side. The heavy armored angel grunted, only able to jump out of reach as best as he could and use his wings to parry or try a counter attack, but his strength subsided and eventually Gadreel landed a thundering hit against Zuriel's chest.

Crying out, Zuriel sank to the ground, reaching to the hole that had now been sliced into the chestpiece of his armor. Hot blood rushed out from a deep ugly looking wound. Panting, the last bits of strength leaving him, he looked up at Gadreel, raising his arms to shield himself. "This won't bring you peace... nor justice, brother."

"I'll see about that..." Gadreel's eyes sparkled triumphantly, his voice rumbling lowly. "But even if it doesn't... it will definitely feel _satisfying_."

No. No this couldn't be it. He couldn't lose yet another person he cared about. He couldn't lose Zuriel as well after having lost Chloe just minutes before already. With the hatred Gadreel harbored and nourished, Lucifer knew, that he wouldn't stop after having killed Zuriel and him. He would go after Amenadiel, Maze, Haaiah and all the others that were trying to stop this apocalypse. He thought back to the nightmare he had about his visit at Gadreel's tomb in hell. Thousands of years ago, Lucifer had been cowardly turning away from him, not able to deal with the consequences of his own doings. Albeit Gadreel had done his own misdeeds, Lucifer too, had been part of Gadreel's downfall and it was an immense burden on his soul and conscience. But this, this slaughter, it was wrong. It just wasn't going to give any of them salvation to their tormented hearts on what happened to them.

Scraping together the last bits of physical energy he could find, he stumbled over, taking a hold on Zuriel's sword and with a burst from his wings, pushed himself inbetween Gadreel and Zuriel. The metal clanked as he blocked the impending mace, and with a heavy push, sent Gadreel a few steps backwards. "Stop it Gadreel! I can't let you do this… I can't…" Lucifer shouted with a trembling voice, his whole body tense and on the edge of exhaustion, merely held upright from his willpower to not give up, even if doom was now obviously unstoppable. Hell was taking over and he couldn't do anything about it. The only thing he was left able to do was to stop his brother from causing more personal damage. He knew he could stop him. As there was always one way - Ending his existence through a heavenly weapon. Of course he didn't want to do it, but he realized, he was in the same situation as he had been when he had confronted Uriel. The moment where every other possibility was washed away and there was no other thing left to do than the unspeakable. Killing Gadreel. Killing yet another brother.

The devastation and anger rose inside him and he used it as a source of power, his eyes changing into smouldering embers. He let it all sink in. All the pent up emotions. The anger, the sheer endless amounts of pain, physical and emotional wise, the despair, the grief, everything. It felt just like when he had ignited the flaming sword, emptying himself, shredding his protective shells and stripping himself emotionally bare. It was whenever he felt he had lost everything, that the true Wrath of God was being unleashed into the world and woe betide anyone who decided to stand against him. The emotional whirlwind inside him was starting to ignite him with energy. It was massive and yet, he knew it would be gone just as fast as it came. He had to use it immediately, unleash it against Gadreel and kill him, before his strength would completely burn out.

With his wings outstretched, Lucifer straightened himself, taking a firm stance. His breathing slowed and relaxed as he focused, everything else around him becoming a dark blurr, except for whom his wrath was directed at. He saw the slight shift in Gadreel's eyes and knew it was irritation about his sudden change in posture and aura. Taking a deep breath, Lucifer's appearance changed into his Devil form. And then he began charging at Gadreel in a hailstorm of destructive, brutal attacks with both his wings as well as the sword.

Gadreel hadn't expected the Devil to muster the energy for such a vigorous and wild onslaught and within moments had to take several blows, cuts and gashes on his wings and arms. Although he was able to avoid a severe hit so far, the seemingly unending waves of attacks, were wearing him out.

The former Guardian of Eden's gates had always been a strong fighter, Lucifer remembered clearly. But his stamina didn't come anywhere near to Lucifer's. He struck at Gadreel in a frenzy, having him tired out within minutes. He also wasn't just fighting with his wings and sword anymore, but used everything at hand, which included, the silver chains, his hellfire abilities and he even made use of his surrounding by bursting a sack of sand and earth against him in attempts to have an advantage and force Gadreel to his knees. And at last, covered in sweat from exhaustion and blood, from the cuts he had suffered as well as remains from the monsters he had killed before, the Devil stood menacingly over Gadreel, who tried to shield himself with his mace from Lucifer's blows. With a hiss Lucifer reached out and took a hold of the metallic shaft of the weapon while slamming his other hand holding the sword against Gadreel's wrist, breaking the mace free from its hold.

Grunting and spitting blood, Gadreel crawled backwards until he felt his back pressed against a shelf. "You still lost everything, brother." he commented derisively. "It doesn't matter to get rid of me now. I won. Besides…" His eyes shimmered as he started to grin. "I always knew that there was this monster slumbering inside you right below the surface of your arrogance. Just prove it to me and yourself and finish it. I know how badly you wish to see me leave this existence! No heaven. No hell. Just… sending me into a never ending black void." His voice had turned lower, his teeth bared as he stared directly back at Lucifer. "I can sense it. I can feel it radiating off of you. That rage… that anger… that insatiable hatred… oh I know it, brother." he breathed with a daring smile. "It's going to be a pleasure watching you fall into the abyss and have it being the last thing for me to remember. Come on, Samael… let it all out. Kill me!"

His brother was right. Lucifer could feel it himself: The wrath, the hatred, the dark energy coursing through his veins, infecting his mind with a numbing black fog of destruction. Everything that he felt, the pain, the anger, the sorrow, the exhaustion, it all became one dark mess and was channeled into one simple thought. Murder. Gadreel had been right. He lost everything. He lost Chloe. She had been his everything, and even if by some miracle she would still be alive, the world they lived in was still doomed, and humanity would suffer and die, and so, ultimately, would Chloe. He knew he would break apart, the second Gadreel would be dead, because he had nothing left that could hold him together anymore. His anchor was gone. He felt his shape transforming back to his human looks, and with a murderous glance in his eyes, Lucifer took a last big swing a Gadreel.

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 **Lots of action, lots of emotions! Oh and I know... no Chloe in this chapter, but the next one will give you closure on where she is and what's truly happening to her.**

 **So what do you think on this Chapter? What's going to happen? Happy to hear your feedback, ideas and critique :D Or just how much you hate waiting for the next chapter ;)**

 **I'm currently writing on the last chapter (perhaps there will be added an epilogue as well, sooo... maybe two chapters to write). My goodness, I cannot believe how much I wrote and that so many people are enjoy this. You cannot imagine how happy it makes me :) You, my dear readers, still have some chapters to devour in the future. No worries. And I will post them all before season 4 starts :D Promise. Remember to give the story a follow, because I will start posting twice a week again as soon as I have finished writing, and so you won't miss out on a chapter release. Until then: See you next Tuesday!**


	27. Uranus

**Chapter Title/Song: Uranus – Sleeping At Last  
A/N: Another week, another chapter! Now you will finally learn everything about Chloe's "situation" :D **

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Chapter 27

Uranus 

She felt herself float in endless darkness. It was a strange thing. She didn't really know if she had her eyes open or not, but if she would have to make a guess, she'd say she had them open and was trying to look around. _Wait a moment… didn't… didn't I just… die?_ She swallowed and turned around, not even sure if she was physically really doing these actions or if she just thought that she was doing them, whereas in truth, this was all some sort of afterworld dream or imagination. So _is this what my hell loop looks like then? Blackness?_ She wondered, remembering the crypt she had found with Father Tomas Hill captured inside, suffering his own hell loop of being eaten from spiders over and over again. But this here… it seemed odd. She had imagined that there would be something similar to Father Thomas' loop, and not just this darkness.

"It was really difficult to bring her here, Father." She heard a female voice suddenly speak close to her, and she turned around, still not able to see anything or anyone. "If I let go of her, she's going to be pulled into hell like the priests."

"That's because of the mark. Let me help with that." An elderly male voice replied. She could feel her body relaxing from a tension she didn't realise she had been in, when something warm touched her arm. She vaguely recalled that it was the same spot Gadreel had grabbed her at and where he had branded her. _The mark…_ Her mind tried to fill in the gaps. "It is alright now, you can let her go." he continued speaking to the female voice and she felt herself resting against something hard. There was a moment of silence and a soothing calmness spread inside her. "Open your eyes, Chloe. You shouldn't feel the pull of darkness anymore."

A light breeze brushed over her eyelids and her eyes sprang open. The darkness was immediately replaced by a warm yellowish-white light. Reaching up, she shielded herself from the impact and noticed that she was laying on the ground. Staring down in order to better adjust to the situation, she stroke with her right hands' fingers over the ground, which almost looked like white marble, but it emitted a faint glow and had parts inside that seemed crystalline. She blinked several times and raised her chin, looking around to take in her surroundings. She was in a big, high-ceiling hall and to her left and right, the room had two archways that led outside, wherever that was, with a balcony attached to them.

To her left crouched a young woman, with dark hair cut into a short bob. She wore a dark red cape, high laced boots, a black knee-length skirt and blouse. Overall however, she somewhat made the impression of the mixture of a goth and a nerd girl and even though her features seemed to make her about Chloe's own age, with her outfit, she looked rather like a teenager. She stared back at Chloe with curious, dark eyes, observing her movements with wonder.

"Azrael, return to your duties and guide the souls to where they belong." She heard the male voice again, but unsure of what the voice was talking about. When Chloe glanced to her side to make out the person behind the voice, she gasped at the sight of a hovering lightsource. _What the..._ She swallowed and frowned, her mind unable to comprehend what she was looking at exactly.

"Of course, Father," Azrael replied and rose up. She gave a nod towards the male voice's direction, her tone low, "I'll be back to work."

Chloe momentarily broke her eyes away from the light and glanced back at the woman, Azrael, who offered her a thin lipped smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. There was something in them, aside from her curiosity and care. _That's sadness_ , she realized. It was different from the having-a-tough-couple-of-days-sadness though. It was a heart-crunching, never-ending sadness that put an unbearable amount of weight on one's shoulder. For a brief moment Chloe was caught in wonder at what this woman, or rather girl, was burdened with. She watched quietly as Azrael was retreating towards the left archway where she smoothly rolled her shoulders. A pair of thick dark gray wings emerged from her back and with a flap, she pushed herself off and flew out of her sight. Chloe just sat on the floor, staring at the archway with wide eyes. _What… the… An… angel? Wait am I not in hell? Where… where am I?_ She frowned and got up on her feet.

"The Silver City… You're in heaven," the male voice rang softly to her right and she turned once again, gazing back at the strange shimmering lightsource.

Her mind felt stuck and the seconds of silence stretched on without her realizing her gaping stare, until suddenly the light began to shift into a form, subsided fully and a human looking man stood in front of her. He had a mid long bushy beard, wavy light brown hair that was loosely combed backwards and his blue eyes as well as his small smile radiated an odd sense of calmness. He wore a blue denim jacket and jeans as if he was some sort of wannabe rancher. And then, she frowned, noticing that she knew his face... and those clothes. _I… I saw him before… I'm sure of it..._

"Yes you have," he commented on her thoughts, the soft smile still on his lips as he tilted his head slightly to the side. "Westridge Canyon Psychiatric Hospital," he went on in a tender voice, raising a brow. When she still seemed to not remember, he pointed at his own face. "The guy thinking he was God, Earl Johnson. But I am only using this image of him, to make it more comfortable for you to speak to me. Humans do have a bit of a hard time dealing with my natural presence. I trust you don't mind, Chloe."

 _The one who said he was God… He used my name…_ Her mind reeled back and forth and then it clicked. The man who said he was God. She blinked. _God…_ She blinked again, her eyes widening as she looked straight back at Him. "You really… are Him…"

"Yes." He nodded, His posture radiating patience towards her.

She took a deep breath, feeling a sudden warmth rising inside her as she quietly nodded. _So, this is it… I actually have a chance to have a word with Him..._ Unaware of herself, she had balled her hands to fists, her chest feeling as if it was tightening from an odd pressure… _anger_. Her body began to shiver, her fists to tremble and… "You freaking ASSHOLE!" With a furious cry, she threw herself forward, lunging at God with a forceful right hook. Without her having expected it, her fist actually collided with His cheek, making a soft thudding sound. She withdrew from Him a few steps right after, staring at Him in shock and disbelief.

God's expression however didn't change, His posture didn't waver. He just turned His face back towards her, blinking twice and not showing any consequences from Chloe's punch, not even a faint redness on His cheek. A soft smile slipped up on His lips, that Chloe wished to wipe right off Him with at least another dozen punches, if she'd get the chance. "That's a lot of anger you've got pent up there young lady. I hope this has taken away a little bit of your tension." He said with a fatherly caring tone and His brows softly wrinkled in a curious, questioning manner while the corners of His lips curled slightly upwards into a smile, because He already knew that it had.

 _Did He just… did He LET me hit Him?!_ Chloe frowned and clenched her teeth as she felt her knuckles hurting from her punch. _And why does HE not seem to give a damn about what happened?!_ She glowered at Him as her mind was flooded with all the anger she felt towards Him for what He did to Lucifer. For what he had to endure, while He did nothing. In fact… He had let it all happen. "HOW?!" she shot at Him, still feeling her whole body trembling. "How could You DO this to him!? Your own SON!"

He lifted His chin a bit and took in a calm, deep breath. "It had to be." His expression didn't change at all. His eyes were still sparkling, His posture still tall and strong, but not intimidating, even though His overall presence had quite an effect.

"Seriously? You freaking asshole have nothing better to say about Lucifer's punishment, suffering and shunning, than 'It had to be'?! Oh, I can see why Lucifer is cursing about You all the time! Ha, no wonder! Have You always been this taciturn? Even to Your children? HE IS YOUR CHILD, GODDAMNIT!" she screamed with all her might, not even realizing the irony of her words, while hot tears ran down her cheeks. The thought of a parent treating their own child like this, submitting it to such ordeals, so much suffering, humiliation and hatred… it was unthinkable. Unbearable. It was so much out of the realm of her understanding, that it felt excruciating to imagine treating her own daughter in any similar way by human standards.

But God still didn't waver. He didn't even have a flicker of remorse in his eyes. He just stood there, watching and waiting for her.

She glared back at His soft blue eyes, hating that He radiated this strange calmness, whereas she just couldn't get it to rub off on her. No… it wasn't that she couldn't. She just didn't _want_ to be calm. And yet, she felt her muscles relaxing. Unable to stay enraged, she felt her mind clearing as well and the events from moments ago rushed back to her focus. "What happened to me?"

"You were marked from Gadreel. Your soul was pulled towards hell. I ordered my daughter to bring you to me, which she did and I removed your mark, so hell won't pull you back." He explained step by step as He slowly walked through the room, subconsciously letting her feel she was not tied to her spot either, but that she could move around.

She looked warily at Him, observing His moves as they were smooth and deliberate, but not seeming aloof. Concentrating on her memories she browsed through them backwards as if they were a magazine, from which she remembered something in particular, but couldn't really pinpoint where it was until she saw the picture again. She recalled the burning on her arm and the voice of Gadreel next to her ear, making her shiver, but there was something else. A warmth and a voice. _Yes… and that damn heat that was spreading out inside me… And that light… it… it said that I am…_

"Vah Shul." God continued on her thoughts, on her memories. His voice was like soft jingling rainbow crystals, so warm and soft to ones soul, but impossible to remember as it consisted of millions of facetts. He came to a halt next to the left archway and turned to look at her. "Go on…"

Chloe swallowed, her brows pinching in thought. "Lucifer's light… It… It changed me. I felt it change me… change my body. I was healing overnight… And it felt like my body was turning into a furnace... There was just so much heat." she spoke quietly, but pensively. "And then… there was this voice in my head… it just constantly told me about being Vah Shul… Morningstar…" she sighed, brushing her fingers through her hair in coldfusion, feeling desperate about putting all the pieces together to make any sense out of them, "I was collapsing and I saw this light shape that told me that we were both Vah Shul, and that I need to let the warmth in-" She broke off, feeling the calmness fade and worry climb up inside her. She didn't notice how the ancient language rolled over her lips with ease. "And then, all of a sudden, I understood what Lucifer said in the angel language. It was as if I had a translator sitting inside my head." Tears welled up in her eyes and she desperately wished to have Lucifer with her. How was it that being in heaven could feel this horrible? She felt confused, insecure and alone.

Taking a long, deep breath, God tilted His head to the side. "What did my son tell you about his light? What was it like for him when he transferred it to you?"

She was aware He didn't really had to ask, because He knew everything. He was simply doing it to help her understand. "He said… it was like… a need… like an instinct and that he felt like he just _had_ to do it. But also that it was right… _perfect_."

"He felt like this before, Chloe." He spoke, letting her once again focus her memories. "I did have to hold him back as he wasn't ready for his ability yet…"

His words were like a slight nudge into the right direction for the pictures in her mind to rush to the right moment. She recalled his uneasiness, the way Lucifer had looked as he himself had realized something. "He said, he felt it when he created the Morningstar. But… what is that supposed to mean, when it comes to me? He didn't create a star out of me or something like that."

"No, that he didn't. The star's light however told you… The star itself was not the right shape my son gave his light to. Not the right vessel. But _you_ are."

"Vessel? For what?" she asked, anxiety starting to creep up within her. What the heck was going on with her. What was done to her? "W-what _am_ I?"

God knowingly smiled back at her. "Your his own creation. A new lineage… a new species." He looked at her, patiently observing as her eyes widened in shock and her mind was starting to make sense of what He had just told her. When He knew that she was ready for Him to continue, He went on. "I have given my son what he wanted, needed and finally what he deserved. And to you, as well."

The warmth His smile radiated increased and she could feel her thundering heart and buzzing brain being soothed and relax. It was now that she made her way over to Him, stopping at the archway He stood at and her eyes stared deeper into His, because she just knew that there was more for Him to say.

With a deep inhalation, He shortly glanced outside, watching His children as they raced through the air, following the orders they have been assigned with. He looked back at her, folding His hands behind His back, and elucidated, "My son made you an angel of a new lineage."

The words echoed through her for a seemingly endless moment, and it felt like the air was being knocked out of her lungs and her mind was warping when the sheer immensity of what He had just told her sank in.

 _Heaven-sent… he said._

 _A miracle… he said._

 _He knew exactly what He was doing when He created you… he said._

 _I have been able to pray to him, the Devil._

 _Like heavenly bells in the back of my mind… he said._

 _Zuriel had been irritated just as much as Lucifer himself when I prayed to them._

Her stare went straight through God, looking at nothing in particular, as the pieces her world had shattered into were coming together and forming a solid, new picture. "So, I have been different all along… A miracle… Lucifer's charm never worked on me. And then, I suppose because of Lucifer's light, Amenadiel's time-slowing ability didn't work on me. I… I can pray to fallen angels… I healed my wounds overnight and spoke and understood the angel language." She blinked and took a deep breath. She had to make any sense of it. Had to put it all together in her mind, like when she was working on a case, only that this was like a different universe. "Lucifer made me an angel, by filling me with his light? After You…" she glanced at Him with a flicker of awe, "after You created me in the first place."

His light brown hair waved through a soft breeze and He started to comb thoughtfully through his beard. "Yes…"

"So You… You gave him the right vessel. Me." It wasn't a question, but she saw Him silently nod. _Wow… Just… Wow... An… angel? Wow, okay… So… what the hell did this all mean? How am I any different now?_ Suddenly though, she figured a strange irritating little mistake in the whole calculation. "But _why_? Why all this? I mean… I'm dead, am I not? I felt it… I felt that I was dying… So what is the point?" A rush of obstinacy and grumpiness rang in her tone as she sighed. "Why have all this planned out? Why create me like this? Why this plan laced with so many variables, only to have me die anyways at the end while the world is being overrun by hell?" Once again tears welled up and spilled over, and she angrily wiped them away. "My daughter is without her mother… And Lucifer is..." What was Lucifer doing? Was he fighting against Gadreel? Did he maybe already succeed? Or did he fail? Is the world still standing or is everything that is left just… heaven and hell? She trembled from the impact of emotions, thinking that she was not able to see them again. _I'm a dead immortal angel… how fucking ironic is that?_ Her mind bitterly rang, and she stifled another sob.

"These are all excellent questions… However… I will not answer them to you. The plan is rather big and it would take a long time to elaborate. Also it would be impossible for you to comprehend its complexity, let alone the reasons behind my actions… no offense." He gently spoke with an apologetic smile and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder.

The moment His hand touched her, she felt lighter and the aching inside her chest became less. It wasn't suppressing her feelings but just like a tender embrace, soothing the nerves of her that were on edge and it reminded her of the feeling of Lucifer's wings when he had wrapped them around her after she had removed the bullets from them.

"But I will tell you this. Angel's can only be killed by a divine weapon." There was a soft pinch in His features as He spoke and Chloe immediately deciphered it to be pain. Of course He would feel pain, talking about how His own children could be killed by something that He let be created. He was the one to have put this logic into place. Although His face momentarily looked troubled, He spoke calmly nevertheless and nudged her closer to the archway, making her to face what lay beneath the tower they were in. The Silver City. "Sooo… Have you been killed by one?"

Again she felt her mind being softly pushed into the right direction. Gadreel had marked her and hell had pulled her into its embrace, but it hadn't been a heavenly weapon that ended her life. "No… I was marked."

"So no heavenly weapon," He concluded quietly.

She blinked. "N-no? But that would mean…" _Not really_ dead _..._

He nodded smiling. "Exactly. Alright then, young lady… I have to get you back now, because there's still a lot of things lying ahead of you." He placed His hand down to her middle back and started to walk with her onto the balcony attached to the archway, stepping out into the warm light. "Things need to be brought back to balance, Chloe, and you will help with that. You know… my son was right. It _is_ like a virus… an infection to the system, that needs to be cleansed." He paused, knowing she couldn't immediately understand what He was getting at, but aware that in due time she would. He chuckled lightly and continued with a cheeky smile, "Oh and… if you feel a pressing sensation in your back… nevermind. You'll see." he quipped slightly. "It was really good talking to you, Chloe."

"Wait, what? That is it? That was my big talk with You?!" she exclaimed irritated, shaking her head. "But there is still so much I wanna know, so much I need to understand!" She frowned and looked back at Him confused.

"It's going to be alright." And with that He raised a finger and softly tapped against her forehead, turning everything in her vision white and then back to black.

* * *

 **A/N: Did ya enjoy the punch!? YES!? I certainly did :D Besides, Chloe had been thinking about it in an earlier chapter, and I really wanted her to land a hit haha. So, now you know the details :D What do you say?**

 **Next chapter (much longer!) on next Tuesday! And I am quite positive about next week posting two chapters ;) Stay tuned!**


	28. Walk Through Fire

**A/N: Here it comes. A week with TWO chapters for you hungry beasts! Without further ado, enjoy! :D**

 **Chapter Title/Song: Walk Through Fire – The Everlove (feat. Stella And The Storm)**

* * *

Chapter 28

Walk Through Fire

She was startled and sat up straight in an instant, her eyes wide open. Taking a deep, sharp inhalation of oxygen she immediately coughed and regretted the instinctive move as she realized the air was as dry as a desert. Not only that. When she looked to her sides she saw the whole room had its walls covered in flames, and quite possibly all of the building complex she was in. _Oh no… Is this hell on earth?_ The noise around her was almost deafening from snarls, grunts and beastly shrieks, but it was also accompanied by shouts and cries that somehow sounded familiar.

Looking down at herself she quickly checked her body for injuries and eventually peered at her arm. The mark was gone. In fact her skin looked absolutely clean and healed as if she had never had a scratch before. There was another grunt and a roar that she now could make out as a male voice. Within the blink of an eye her heart thundered in her chest. _Lucifer!?_ She quickly pusher herself up from the ground, when something white caught her attention, floating down in soft wavy patterns. Catching it midair, she stared at a white glowing prime feather. _What the... That's one of Lucifer's… He tried to heal me…_ She swallowed, thinking of what her passing had done to her partner, her love.

Another roar echoed through the room, and the ground was shaking from tremors coming from right below her. Using the shelf at her side as support, she stumbled forward and out of the little hidden area she had been lying in. The big hall had literally the apocalypse unfolding right in front of her eyes. A massive crack tore through the hall's ground and she could hear the shrieks and other beastly sounds coming from the breach of the Styx. _This sounds bad… They sound so close..._ She recalled Lucifer saying that the cracks started to manifest and now monsters would have no trouble climbing up.

On the ground near the crack she spotted several small burnt corpses, apparently creatures that didn't make it through the barrier of flames. Her eyes wandered on until she saw a dark shimmering pile near the right corner. _Holy shit, that's Zuriel!_ She stared in shock, seeing how he was trembling, holding onto his chest with one hand while he used his other to crawl to a nearby table. He was in bad shape, she could tell by the look of his wings, face and armor. He appeared battled, exhausted and defeated.

A dark voice from the other side of the room barked angrily and she got a rush of goosebumps on her skin, recognizing it to be Gadreel's. "It's going to be a pleasure watching you fall into the abyss and have it being the last thing for me to remember. Come on, Samael… let it all out. Kill me!" She went further out into the open, having to leave Zuriel to himself for the time being, and could only now see the two forms about thirty meters away.

"Lucifer…" she breathed, he eyes wide as she took in his condition from afar. His dark suit was torn in several places, smeared with blood, and his skin… he was in his Devil form and he looked… _Oh my god, he looks murderous. But that's not possible. Lucifer isn't a killer, he isn't evil. So why…_ She swallowed, shaking. Of course! Gadreel was pushing him. And of course Lucifer was devastated because she had died. She saw him raise a sword, his skin transforming to his human looks as with a roar he struck down. "Lucifer, no!"

He froze and the only thing still slightly moving was his trembling arm holding the sword. He looked back over his right shoulder, his blood covered wings relaxing from their tensed, spread state. Confused and anxious brown eyes met hers and all the pressure that had built up inside him, was knocked right out of him, leaving him gazing at her, baffled, his world shifting and not making sense anymore. Even less than it had just moments ago. "Chloe?" His voice was a mere whisper, his mouth agape, his heart thundered madly out of the yearning to feel her, to know she was truly there and not just in his imagination.

"How are you alive?!" Gadreel suddenly barked angrily and confused. He was still on his knees, panting and rasping exhaustedly after the Devil's merciless onslaught. "You should be in hell!"

The words of his brother made Lucifer's guts twist and he had to swallow thickly in attempts to push away the thought of Chloe having been in hell. He made an unsteady step backwards from Gadreel, but not towards her, still not sure if he could trust his eyes. The pain of having lost her minutes ago was still so fresh and cut so deep, it seemed surreal. He had felt for her pulse, but she had none. He had tried to heal her, but her body didn't react to his feather. He had felt her being gone. Her soul had left her mortal body and dread had pierced his heart before it had shattered into a million pieces.

"Lucifer?" she softly asked, her eyes pinned on him. She had seen him like this before. Several times. Confused. Angry. And in unspeakable, deep pain. The last time she had seen him in this state was when he had attacked the man who had shot at her in the gallery. The way he had glared at the man. The way he had shoved and pressed him against the wall in his penthouse, fuming with rage while inside he was torn apart from pain. But this now… this was _more_. It ran deeper, because he wasn't just in pain. He had _lost_ her and she knew how much of an anchor she was for him, how much of a lifeline she was in moments of thundering storms like this one. "Hey…" she went on, her voice shaking ever so slightly, reaching out to carefully touch his trembling hand. The knuckles tensed even more when her skin touched his. He felt so cold it was scary. "Lucifer…" she breathed again, blinking away tears. "I'm here… it's alright… I'm right here..."

He swallowed again, his brows twitching into a frown. There was a change in the swirl of browns in his eyes, and even though the hall was ablaze with hellfire surrounding them and the air dry as a desert, he could feel a dampness on his cheeks. The touch of her skin against his was like a reviving lightning strike into his soul. "Chloe… How… But you… Are you really-" He broke off, not daring to ask the question that was burning in the front of his mind, all consuming and threatening to tear his world apart once again, depending on her answer. He was too much reminded of the countless times his mind had been tricked and tortured from his punisher brothers into thinking she was dead and suffered in a hell-loop.

Still holding his eyes captivated, she smiled at him with a heavy sadness inside her, seeing him so insecure and so desperate. She nodded, carefully pushing down his hand so he lowered the weapon. Finally she closed the gap to him and crushed herself against him in a fierce embrace, her tears being soaked up from his shirt. "Yes, Lucifer. I'm alive… I'm okay," she sobbed. The sounds of the crackling flames and the growls from hell faded in comparison to the heavy thundering heartbeat she heard as she rested against his chest.

His throat closed up and he could only breathe heavily through his nose as her body pressed against his. The contact immediately sent a warmth and soothing bliss into his exhausted limbs as well as shivers down his spine. _She's here… she… she really is alive… She isn't…_ his thoughts were tumultuous and scattered. _How's that possible? Had she been in hell? How did she get out? Did… did Dad…?_ His left arm slung around her, clenching her tightly against his frame, his fingertips digging into her as if still in need to verify she was there. Eventually his throat relaxed and he let out a soft sigh, taking in another deep breath, inhaling her scent.

The groan from Gadreel, trying to push himself up, pulled them both out of their bubble, even though the former Guardian of Eden was heavily coughing blood and crawling on all fours, not having the strength to stand. "No… NO! Not like this… Finish it, snake! Fucking _finish_ what you've started!" he grunted angrily, making a weak attempt to attack with his wings. Lucifer contered with an easy slash of his sword, slicing into Gadreel's distorted feathers and membrane of his left wing. "Arrgh!" Gadreel groaned and panted, gritting his teeth. "Come on, brother! Is that all you've got!? Come on!"

Chloe frowned, observing the behavior of both men and recalled what she had heard Gadreel shout when she came back to life. He wanted Lucifer to kill him. But that wasn't creating balance, she realized all of a sudden. It would take Gadreel out of the picture, but at the same time not really. The consequences would still be there and his death would effect Lucifer, certainly not for the better but for the worse. "Lucifer," she softly spoke, waiting until his posture changed and thus signalling her that he was listening. "Don't. You _do_ have a choice. It's not the same as it was with your other brother."

His heart contracted violently at the mention of Uriel, but he knew she was right. This was different in several ways. Killing Gadreel was not something he wanted anymore, and definitely nothing he was willing to do now. He realized, he had been so blind with rage and pain, that he would have just given in to Gadreel's wish, but this was not right. No. He _knew_ the right way. Gadreel had to make amends. And in order to get to that state, he needed to be punished. The pain in Lucifer's eyes was evident of how much that thought hurt him. How was it, that he had to do it? How was it, that it came down to him to act and make sure that Gadreel would not escape justice? _Bloody hell, how is it, I'm still doing what Father wants me to do?!_ Swallowing, he tightened the hold on the sword once again, raising it in a wide arch, his eyes burning with grief. "I'm so, _so_ sorry, Gadreel..."

Gadreel's angry glare at Lucifer faltered and a hint of surprise and irritation washed over his features. "What…?" he breathed, trembling and not understanding what Lucifer meant exactly.

With a growl, Lucifer cut down, his aim precise and his strike ruthlessly powerful.

Gadreel cried out in pure horror and torment as the blade sliced down, smashing into his lower left wingbone. The bone cracked with a sickening sound and was followed by the cut through muscles, feathers and membrane until the heavy appendage dropped to the ground. "RAAARGH! NOOOO!" Mad with pain and despair, he groaned and sobbed, slumping down towards Lucifer's feet. "N-n-noo! N-no, Samael, please don't… Brother, please d-don't take them aw-way from m-me..."

"I'm so sorry… Please forgive me..." he pressed again with a shaking, hoarse voice, but didn't pause for longer and slashed down a second time, fresh tears burning in his eyes. The screams of his brother were tearing at his soul and when Gadreel's right wing landed on the ground with a slick, thudding sound, Lucifer wasn't so sure about himself having truly made the right decision. How was this any better than killing him? It was sick. He _felt_ sick. Forcing down the bile in his throat, he turned back to Chloe, but couldn't lift his eyes to meet hers. He felt as if a massive hole was punched into his soul and now he was leaking the last bits of anything remotely human, least of all angelic.

It was horrible to watch and she had flinched, turning away momentarily, but she could feel this was the right way. _Killing_ wouldn't have been it. Lucifer wasn't a murderer. Yet having done _this_ … She blinked away her tears and inhaled a steady, deep breath, composing herself and looking at Lucifer. Stepping back towards him, she carefully raised a palm to lay on his cheek, which was rough from his stubbles and smeared with blood and sweat. The subtle tremble of his jaw, the deep frown and his lost look were all telling her the same thing. He needed his anchor. Her. _Now_.

She pulled him towards her, letting his head sink into the crook of her neck, where he continued to shiver. "Shush… it's okay... " she hummed as she reached for his ruffled hair, combing through it while gently swaying with him from one foot to another, trying to take the edge off of his inner turmoil that had grown to the size of a hurricane. Glancing over at Gadreel who had curled up sideways on the ground, sobbing and caressing his severed wings in a disturbingly affectionate way, she knew that this was not the final destination for Gadreel. And that thought sparked a memory, two actually.

One from a conversation she had with Lucifer after they had found out that the cracks, which appeared near the dead priests, became manifestations of the Styx breaking through to the earthly plane.

 _...It reminds me of a virus. Like it's infecting a functioning system, turning it against itself. Maybe the dead priests are like a virus for the barrier between earth and hell... That could potentially cause quite some chaos in the system..._

And then there was something she remembered from her conversation with God, just before she woke up.

 _...You know… my son was right. It_ Is _like a virus… an infection to the system, that needs to be cleansed..._

She let out a soft breath. _Of course. The priests..._ They were still stuck in their hell loops and they did _not_ belong there. They were making the Styx unstable and caused the breaches to further manifest on earth. In order to have a chance on closing the cracks, the priests would first need to be transferred to heaven, but would this work, considering that the priests' souls were branded with Gadreel's mark? She glanced down at her own arm, Gadreel's mark was gone. _Right… because God touched my freaking arm on my freaking soul and then it was gone for real…_ She wondered whether God would perhaps do the same for the priests, if they could manage to bring them up there that is...

"Lucifer…" She hated to break the moment of comfort she provided him with, but they needed to act. The breach cracked further open and the hellfire ate away at the buildings walls. It was strange to realize that the room wasn't completely filled with fumes and impossible to breathe in, but nevertheless the flames appeared to be at least a deadly trap to whatever hellish creature tried to pass through. Gently Chloe leaned back and let him raise his head from her neck to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot from crying, pain and exhaustion. Pressing his forehead against hers, she took a deep breath, for she hated herself for what she was about to say. "Listen Lucifer…" she breathed, her voice cracking. "I need you to bring Gadreel to hell and then to get the priests out of their tombs."

She had predicted his reaction, his trembling frame, his pleading eyes, begging her not to be parted from her yet _again_. To not have to go through another tormenting travel down to hell. To not punish his brother like that. But they both knew this had to be done and she could soon see his jaw tensing in his unbelievably strong willpower, as he composed himself for taking another ton of pain for the greater good. Pressing several forceful breaths through his nose, she watched as he lifted his head away from her. She placed her hands on his chest, careful to avoid his wounds. "The priests need to be brought to heaven by your siblings. Do you think you can handle that?" she asked but already knew they had no choice anyway. He had to do it or earth would get flooded with hell's creatures. There really was no other way.

His brown eyes moved back and forth between her, Gadreel and the breach. Eventually they locked back on her and he nodded slowly with a frown, moisturizing his lips. "W-what about you? You can't stay here," he muttered in worry and exhausted dizziness. He moved a bit closer, his arms starting to glide around her waist. "I'll bring you away first and then-"

"No Lucifer," she cut him off, gently pushing his hands back. "No… I'll be fine. Look, I know that time is running differently in hell. How much time will you need to get them out? Maybe an hour? That's like what? Not even two minutes on earth." She let out a sobbing laugh. "I think I can manage that. Just come back as soon as you can. Once the priests are in heaven, you try immediately to come back here, do you understand?"

He swallowed thickly and nodded, unable to speak. He just couldn't, so he kissed her instead, and when he tasted her sweet lips, he almost couldn't bring himself to break apart from her again. But he did. He had to. In a rush, he turned away from her and stepped up to Gadreel, grabbing him by his leather padded collar. Forcing himself to not look at the butchered wings on the ground, he shifted his brother into a firm hold against his frame.

"N-no… please… Samael…" Gadreel begged with a groan, clutching onto Lucifer's ruined jacket. He had heard where his brother was going to take him and he did not like it one bit. In fact, Gadreel felt terror creeping into him. "Don't… don't bring me there again… please… just… just kill me..."

"Everyone gets their just punishment, brother. There'll be no exception for you." Lucifer spoke quietly, though with a tense and pained tone. He made sure his hold was tight on Gadreel and with a last deep breath, he mustered his strength and pushed them both into the void between the realms.

Chloe watched them disappear when the floor began to heavily tremble once again. The breach tore open wider, and massive chunks of earth broke off from the edges and were swallowed by the abyss towards hell. A grunt and groaning made her turn, realizing that Zuriel had stumbled his way towards her, holding his balance every now and then by taking a hold onto a nearby table or shelf. She quickly closed the distance and helped to stabilize him.

"Urgh… Th-thank you… my queen," Zuriel rasped through gritted teeth.

She noticed his hold on his chest and the blood trailing down his gauntlet and chestpiece. "That doesn't look good. Are you gonna be alright?" she asked concerned.

He nodded, gripping onto a steel rail of a shelf to his left side. "Yes… No worries… We should be more concerned about the creatures…" His ice-blue eyes glanced towards the passage to hell. "It's stable now… We might want to retreat behind the flames for safety..." A deep, guttural growl thundered from the depths and Zuriel cursed. "Yes… yes we should get out. I think that's a-"

A massive grey limb emerged from the crack and Chloe's face became pale from the sheer size of what she looked at. Thick veins pulsed and bulky muscles contracted when the hand of the size of a truck smashed onto the ground, sank its claws into the concrete and ripped it open as if it was nothing.

"Oh FUCK!" Chloe hissed. _That thing is freaking huge..._ And all she could see so far was a single arm. She did _not_ want to see the rest of that monstrosity.

"-a Titan," Zuriel finished and straightened himself with a groan before feverishly looking through the room. He had seen Lucifer leave with his sword, which meant Gadreel's mace was still lying around. Spotting it a good ten meters away, he stumbled his way over, equipping himself.

* * *

The last flap of his wings caused the ashen ground to stir up dust, well… ash. Exhaling Lucifer carefully pulled back from his brother's trembling body, who shakily tried to hold himself upright.

Sobbing, Gadreel blinked and anxiously reached out and grabbed a hold on Lucifer's shirt. His eyes were wide and in a deep, terrified pain as he realized they were back in hell. "No… please… don't… Don't lock me up in that crypt again, Samael… please… I beg you! Brother! Please have mercy!"

Lucifer could see the pain and fear in Gadreel's eyes. The immeasurable spectrum of scars that covered his heart and his once so bright soul. All these years of hatred and pent up pain had left their marks on him. Almost ironic, thinking how their Father had left his own special mark on Gadreel. It was a strange realization as it hit him, how his own punishment had created so much wrath inside of himself over the past millennia. But it wasn't all wrath because of his punishment. No. The pain ran on a much deeper level. He was also angry at himself. Because, yes, he had made mistakes, grave ones, and they had grave consequences for everyone. But so, too, had Gadreel's actions.

Taking a hold on one of Gadreel's wrists, he made him stop flail around. "I will not put you in a crypt again, Gadreel. But you need to be punished. There have to be consequences for your actions." He had an idea, even though he wasn't sure if this was sufficient. But it felt right. "Look around." Lucifer added a bit softer, watching his brother intently.

Gadreel sighed in relief but was still catching his breath from exhaustion, pain and fear. Slowly he calmed himself down, and with several irritated blinks, looked around, taking in exactly where they were. And there was hardly anything. A few formations of stones, but other than that, there was just an endless bumpy surface of ash and gravel. This didn't look at all like the crypt system he had been held in. "What is this? Where are we?"

Wettening his lips from the dehydrating air, Lucifer swallowed and looked back at him with heaviness. "It's the outer realm of hell," he explained shortly, taking in the confused reaction of his brother for a moment. He tightened his grip on Gadreel's wrist, making him groan out. "This is the natural connection towards earth. Hell's gates, so to speak. Even though there aren't any physical ones. It's a place. The barrier is all around here," he continued and again tightened his grip on the wrist.

Gadreel grunted, feeling as something pierced into his skin, crawling into his veins. "Wh-what are you doing to me?!"

"You'll be bound to this place, Gadreel. Until your soul has redeemed itself," Lucifer said calmly, his voice heavy from sadness though. "You loved your heavenly duties. You loved following Father's wish and protecting Eden. This place… here… it _also_ needs protection and… it's former guardian is no longer in the condition to do so." Again he swallowed thickly, thinking of his old furry friend. "It's almost poetic, although shatteringly horrible, you know?" A pained smile tugged at his lips as he let go of Gadreel's arm to gently pat him on the shoulder. "You once protected the gates of Eden. From now on you will protect the gates of hell."

The expression in Gadreel's face was changing like a ping pong between shock, anger, pain and devastation. "So you punish me… You punish _me_ for _your_ wrongdoings."

"No Gadreel. I'm not. That I went to Eden and talked to Eve was my doing. And it was my doing to approach you and try to encourage you to stand up to Dad and demand free will for yourself. It was my doing to ask of you to let me into the garden. But it was _you_ , who let me in. I did not trick you. I didn't sneak past you. I didn't force my way in." He lowered his eyes, hating to point out what had to be said. "You _let_ me."

Tears dripped silently into the ashen ground as Gadreel couldn't keep himself standing anymore, his exhaustion too immense, the lack of his wings, his divinity, leaving him empty. "You… you're my brother…"

Lucifer watched him sink to his knees, but let him rest on the ground, because there was no point in lifting him anymore. Gadreel didn't have the seemingly endless amount of willpower which provided Lucifer with the strength to continue. "Yes… You let me in, because you meant to do something good for me. But by doing so, you disobeyed Father. He didn't care that you did it because you loved your brother. He only cared that you didn't follow His order." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "You thought you were doing something good. That it was right. From out of the goodness of your heart, which actually displays free will. You grasped it, took it and used it out of kindness and love."

"How does Father not approve of this? How did this act of kindness, have such negative impact and consequences? How… how could He punish me for my good intentions?"

That was an excellent question. One which Lucifer had asked himself for eons. How could their Father be so cruel to them, standing up for what they thought was something good? He had no answer and he wasn't sure if he would ever get one. Even though he tried to tell himself to not care about getting the answer, it would always stay a painful splinter deep inside his heart. "I don't know, Gadreel. Perhaps someday we all get the answer. Or maybe not. Maybe He won't give us anything. Maybe it's just us and we gotta find the answer for ourselves." He made a few steps backwards, his wings tensing.

Gadreel sniffed, his fingers digging into the ground. "Wait… what… what am I supposed to do here? I… I… How do I get out?"

"You protect this area. Nothing may enter or leave through this area, that is not supposed to. You will be able to tell, don't worry. And while serving your time here, maybe someday you find your redemption. For now though, you will try to make amends for what you did. For _everything_ that you did." And there was a lot that Gadreel had to make up for. The dead priests. Manipulating Tate Langdon. Causing the barrier between the realms to crack and merge and risking hell's creatures to emerge onto earth regardless of the consequences. And Chloe… He took in a deep breath. She was waiting for him. She was alive. But how? How had she come back? And had she been in hell before? He had a feeling that somehow his Dad had his manipulative fingers involved in all of this. But now wasn't the time to fret about it. The moment would come.

"So you're leaving," Gadreel muttered through clenched teeth, the anger and blame clearly audible in his tone. "You leave me alone. Again."

Of course he understood what his brother was accusing him of. The millennia that Lucifer hadn't dared to visit his brother, telling himself that this was somehow better. But he had lied to himself. He had simply been a coward and couldn't stand the thought of seeing Gadreel like this, knowing, that he had been the one who put his brother in this position. "It was wrong of me, Gadreel. And I am so, so deeply sorry for what I did to you. I should've visited you. I should've apologized and tried to make my own amends to _you_." His eyes softened as he looked over his brother's back, the gruesome wounds from his severed wings, still bleeding. He knew they would heal eventually, but the wings… They would not grow back. Not until he was ready for them. He had to deserve them. Not just _want_ them. "I will do it from now on," he added with a nod. "So this won't be a 'Goodbye', brother. It's merely an 'Until next time'."

But Gadreel didn't say anything. Instead he curled up on the ground, overwhelmed with emotions he didn't yet know how to handle and what to do with. And Lucifer let him. He knew he needed time, because only time could tell how he would deal with it all. If and how he would proceed on his way towards redemption. And so without another word, Lucifer left.

He thrust his wings, traveling the endless realm of the underworld within barely a blink of an eye, until he landed inside the ever expanding crypt system. Of course hell was not a fixed size. How could it be? With millennia passing by and more humans ending up in hell than in heaven, this place would otherwise be quite crowded. Not bothering to tuck away his wings, he just let them lower behind him as he strode through the corridors, letting his intuition guide him to where he needed to go. He could recall the location of every single inhabitant in hell, no matter if he was present or not when they arrived in hell. It was a really strange connection towards this place of endless torments.

He didn't need long until he had found the first door that was ajar. There were no chains attached to the outside of the door either, which was an additional indicator that this was a tomb where one of the priests was kept inside.

When he entered, he stepped into complete darkness. _Well, that's an interesting one, although not uncommon. Nothingness. Quite a lot of humans are afraid of that concept._

"H-hello? Is s-someone th-there?" a shaky voice stuttered, echoing through the endless darkness.

Lucifer blinked, his own vision easily penetrating the darkness. He could clearly see a man just a few meters ahead, stumbling around, hands outstretched, looking for a way out. "You're Father Clint Henning, is that correct?" Lucifer calmly asked, knowing from the looks of him, that he was right. He had seen the corpse, heard Miss Lopez mentioning his name, and Lucifer couldn't forget. It was merely a habit. He wanted to be sure.

"Oh my god! Hello?! Hey, I'm… I'm here! Yes… yes that's me! Please, help me get out of here!" Father Clint cried and sobbed, the relief clearly audible in his voice.

"Wrong deity…" Lucifer grumbled more to himself, sighed and with a snap of his fingers, the room was lit up, all the shadows being instantly gone.

Father Clint covered his eyes for a brief moment before he took at look at Lucifer, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He pointed a shaky finger at him and stepped closer.

Lucifer glanced over his shoulders, realizing he still had his wings out. He sighed and rolled his eyes. _Bloody hell, why does this always happen to me?_ "Yes, yes I know, I know. Yes, I'm an angel. Yes, there is a heaven and the bloody bastard you call your bloody Lord also exists. This is hell and yes, you don't belong here, which is why I am here, so chop chop. I need to collect a few more of you buzzkills and get you to where you belong." Without waiting for the human's reaction, he turned around, leading the way to get out of the tomb. Surprisingly the priest followed without a response, he only continued to stare at him, but stayed quiet. _Perfect. No boring chit chat to waste my time._

He continued his way through the crypt system and it didn't take long and he had freed all six priests. Lucifer had checked the arms of each of them, noticing that the mark that had been branded into their fleshen shell as well as their soul, was gone. The only plausible conclusion as to why that was, seemed to be, that Gadreel as the cause of the mark, was now back in hell and thus the mark on the priests became redundant. The true sinner was in hell.

Having gathered all the priests, Lucifer sent out a short prayer to the angel of death, as he knew she was the one to rightfully bring the priests where they belonged. The sudden rustling behind them, made the group turn towards the quirky looking dark haired woman.

She tilted her body sideways, glancing past Lucifer at the priests and then took in the sight of her brother. A pained, thin lipped smile tugged at her lips. "Hey Lu," she greeted him with the nickname she used to call him. Her eyes insecurely flickered over his features in an attempt to read him.

It was strange seeing her, hearing her voice and how she seemed to not have changed. But he could tell this was just superficial. He didn't have to share hours of conversations with her, to know that she had become sadder, deep within the immeasurable depths of compassion in her heart. She had always been caring so much for others and never had been able to truly learn to protect herself from the gruesome world out there. It was a miracle she hadn't become bitter. She was an everlasting source of happiness, while her duty of being the angel of death confronted her with the exact opposite. Every single day.

A lot of time had passed by and he was aware of his own anger and disappointment still being present when confronted with his siblings. After all, none of them had shown any form of sympathy for what their Father had punished him with. "Hello Azrael."

"What? Too grown-up to call me Rae-Rae?" she quipped, trying to sound playful and light, but she immediately dropped her act when she saw Lucifer's grave expression. She started fumbling with her sleeves and chewed on her lower lip.

"Did you bring her here?" Lucifer suddenly asked out of nowhere, his voice cracking from worry. When Azrael took longer than a second to react, he continued with a much rougher and accusing tone, "Did you bring Chloe to hell?!"

"W-what!? No! No, Lu, I didn't bring her here. I was told to bring her to the Silver City." She quickly stepped up towards him. "Look I am _so_ sorry I had to take her away from you. I know how much she means to you."

 _Of course she knows… I suppose all of them do, those bloody, nosy dimwits, always watching and listening… Freaking pervs._ He sighed, nodding though still breathing aggravatedly through clenched teeth. "Right… And we all know who gave that order to bring her upstairs." Of course their Father had his finger in the pie. But why? Why did he pull Chloe to heaven? And what had he done to her? What had he said to her? Surely it was all a way to pull his bloody omniscient strings to spur on his ever so holy grand plan. Grumbling, Lucifer pointed at the priests behind him. "Would you please be so kind and take them where they belong?" he muttered, making room for the priests to step forward.

She seemed crestfallen because of his reaction, but knew better than to push him. "Sure, Lu, if they weren't marked with that damn symbol."

"Well, I guess it is my lucky day, then. They're not. Not anymore. Gadreel is taken care of and the mark on them all has disappeared."

She swallowed. "Did you…?"

"I didn't kill him." he grumbled, hating that she was scared and unsure about how far he would go, since they all knew what had happened to Uriel. Yet, this struck a chord in him. If Chloe hadn't stopped him, he would have...

She visibly relaxed, when suddenly a mumbling between the priests took place and both angels turned towards them curiously. With a raised brow Lucifer nudged his chin at them. "What?"

Father Clint took courage and spoke, although with a shaky voice. "You… you're Lucifer?"

He hadn't really spoken to the priests, so for all they knew, he was an angel, but they had no clue about what angel they had been walking with. "Yes." _Well I guess, this is an interesting moment… watching them react to standing in front of the Devil and all..._

Again they muttered and hushed in between each other until another one of them asked, "What exactly happened to us? What is going on?"

"You ended up in the wrong place. Instead of going up, you went down. That is going to be corrected now," he explained rather emotionally detached, not really wanting to get further into the topic, but of course, the priests would not make it easy for him. _Fuck you, Dad. Just, seriously… Fuck you._

"And how did we end up here?" Father Clint's voice rang again, his expression confused and scared.

Wettening his lips, Lucifer flexed his jaw in hesitation and sighed. "Because… Because I made a mistake a long time ago," he admitted grumpily, but honestly.

Another priest, Father Thomas, stepped forward, his eyes holding Lucifer's without fear, but something else showed in them. Something Lucifer didn't see coming at all. Respect. "It takes courage to admit a mistake," he responded with a slight smile and nod at him.

"Thank you," another priest spoke forth, attracting the attention of the already surprised Devil.

 _What the bloody hell..._ "Why are you thanking me? You were in hell, because of my actions. Why aren't you angry at me?"

"Yes… but… but you came to get us out and you stated your fault."

He blinked irritated. How was simply telling them about his mistake making things okay again? He couldn't wrap his head around it, but apparently the priests weren't done with him yet.

"Yes, he's right. You're different than I thought… I'm sorry, I was wrong about you."

"Me too. Thank you for being honest and just to us."

His throat and chest tightened and with the light feeling in his stomach, he realized this was the same bloody touchy feely situation he had been in with Chloe and her offspring before several times now. "I… I…" he croaked and harrumphed with an awkward sigh. "Alright, that's enough flattering, get the hell out of… hell. Have a lovely afterlife," he muttered and swiftly turned back to Azrael who was trying to hold back her laughter. Narrowing his eyes at her in warning, he grumbled, "Well? Will you get them bloody out of here?!"

Azrael smirked and nodded, tensing her grey wings. "Sure, Lu."

He waited until she had transferred the priests one after another before making his own attempt to fly back. When he had left hell with Chloe, the transition had been tormenting, with hell having a merciless clutch onto them. But now… now it was different. It felt much lighter. He felt the barrier between the planes coming in reach and let his body smash through it with a thunder. This time, the void didn't spit him out like a cat did a ball of wool, but he controlled his arrival with ease, landing straight back in the abandoned hall of the arboretum.

Having arrived back from hell, seemed bizarre, given the picture that displayed itself in front of him. The big hall was still ablaze with his hellfire and the massive crack in the middle of the floor seemed as if it was a direct connection to the middle of the earth with no end in sight. Not only that, but a giant limb had dug itself into the concrete. _A freaking Titan?!_ A deep yell made him look to his right, where he spotted Zuriel smashing down on the Titan's hand with the mace. The weapon indented into the flesh with a sickening cracking sound, accompanied by a bellowing howl from the depths. _Well,_ that _must have hurt…_

"Lucifer! Watch out!" Chloe's voice rang further behind Zuriel and he was just in time to jump several feet to the side, when the second arm of the Titan crashed into the floor, ripping the ground further open. Not waiting for the monster to pull itself further up, Lucifer shot forward and slashed at the hand with his sword. Surprisingly the blade didn't manage to fully cut through the flesh. It felt like he was cutting into something sticky and he had to put in quite some effort to pull the weapon back out for another attack. "Keep cracking those fingers, Zuriel!" he called out to his brother, slashing down again and again, eventually managing to severe one finger after another from the enormous Titan's hand.

Zuriel did as he was told, smashing down the mace over and over again. The Titan growled and howled in pain, digging its remaining intact fingers further into the concrete, but losing grip. With a last forceful blow onto the Titan's wrists, the first arm slipped down, unable to hold itself. Lucifer kept on slashing, almost using the sword as if it was an axe. At last the Titan could no longer hold its weight, and when it had only three fingers left, it lost its grip completely, falling off the cliff and disappearing into the depths towards hell with a deafening cry.

Panting heavily, Zuriel swirled the mace with a grunt. "I was not looking forward to see that giant come back to the surface ever again."

Gathering his breath, Lucifer turned to him. "Yeah… me neither. Really wasn't a pleasant time when he was stomping through the lands. Oof!" With a sob Chloe crushed into him, tightly wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his tall frame down to her. "H-hey… I got back in time, didn't I?" Of course he knew, she was anxious about his well being and he was merely trying to lighten the mood. But he had to admit to himself, that he, too, was relieved to be back.

She sobbed quietly and dug her fingers into his dark curls, her heart beating in her throat. "Yeah… Yeah you did." She was relieved that his trip had been successful, but most of all to have him back. With Gadreel and the priests being taken care of, there was now just one last task left for them to do.

Close the cracks to hell.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it. Chloe is back (woop woop!) and Gadreel is taken care of. What do you think about how Lucifer solved the situation with him? Was it a good or bad decision?**

 **For those curious about how I imagined the Titan, check out the Makhai Titan from the movie "Wrath of the Titans". Pretty much like that, although without a second body attached to him, and big as a freaking giant.**

 **As promised on Thursday I will release another Chapter, albeit a bit shorter than this one. Still, I hope you're excited! The finale of this story is approaching!**


	29. Brave New World

**A/N: Enjoy my dear Lucifans, your double treat this week ;)**

 **Chapter Title/Song: Brave New World – The Spiritual Machines**

* * *

Chapter 29

Brave New World

"I hate to interrupt your moment, but what about the breaches? Hell's monsters are climbing up, brother. And you and I surely don't want to wait out until a Leviathan or Behemoth manages to emerge. I think a Titan was already enough trouble," Zuriel rasped as he stepped up to Lucifer.

Letting out a huff, he unwillingly parted with Chloe, carefully looking her over until he was satisfied to see that she didn't seem injured. He straightened his back, grunting, as he felt his ribs popping and cracking. "Right…" He wiped a thin coat of sweat off his forehead; the flames, although magically not taking away the oxygen out of the room, were still heating it up nonetheless. "Only there is a tiny problem with that task." Lucifer's eyes pensively glanced back at the wide hole in the ground.

"And what's that?"

"Last time I tried closing a crack with my powers, it didn't work. I have control over the Styx, but only in hell and not as it has merged with the earthly plane." He sighed, trying to think of something else that they could do, but he could tell that his hellish powers simply couldn't work on this matter.

Zuriel began to fumble with the mace, obviously wallowing a thought back and forth. "Maybe if… what if we call for Michael? I mean with his powers… We could ask him to help us-"

"Don't you _dare_ bring up that self righteous prick!" he snarled and grumbled disapprovingly, his eyes shortly flaring up. "It's not like he could fill a whole with new earth between the planes, just because he can create material. He's _not_ able to _seperate_ the planes from each other." Yes, of course he felt angry about the idea of having Michael around, but there was also the fact that Michael couldn't help with this situation, even if Lucifer would approve for him to try.

"So it would perhaps need someone who is able to somehow have influence on both? Hell and Earth alike?" Chloe wondered in thought and looked up to Lucifer, finding him shrugging.

"Maybe… But it isn't me, as I just stated. The Styx's breaches didn't react to my powers."

She frowned, recalling a conversation they had after the night she had removed the bullets from his wings. It felt like months ago, not days. "But… maybe it _is_ you. Maybe you _can_ do it," she muttered, lips parting as her expression became more excited. "You said you terraformed the earth, once it was created, right?"

He frowned, blinking irritated. "Y-yes, but-"

"You sculpted earth and you can sculpt hell, correct?" she cut him off, staring at him expectantly.

He averted his gaze from her, but then wetted his lips, tilted his head to the side and answered, "Hell… yes… to an extent. But earth? That was half a billion years ago! And an absolute one-timer! It's not like I do that on a daily basis, you know?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. He was insecure, she could tell, as she could see right through his reaction. "Lucifer, you _have_ to try," she responded, gently taking hold of his arm.

He gritted his teeth, sighing, but visibly struggling as she was so easily able to take his worries away and make him give in. "A massive amount of divinity had been necessary to be able to sculpt a bloody forest. I'm not really sure that I could transform material between realms, whose amount cannot even be _measured_!"

"Well… just give it a try, Lucifer. It's not like we have a lot of choices available. Please..."

The use of his name coming from her lips, and her pleading to him with her soft and endlessly deep blue eyes, made his chest feel all warm and fuzzy. _Damn those plum delicious lips and mesmerizing eyes…_ "Alright, alright, I'll try it," he gave in and Chloe's smile immediately made his heart skip a beat. "Step behind me, then." With a gesture towards Zuriel, he threw the sword over to its rightful owner so he had his hands free.

Positioning himself at the edge of the cliff, he took in a couple of focusing and calming breaths. Everything of him was hurting. His skin was covered in bruises and cuts, his wings were still plucked from the torture he had gone through and at several places his membranes were pierced, his muscles were burning and sore, making every tiny movement painful. And lastly, he felt emotionally drained and exhausted. But this all had to wait. He closed his eyes, taking in another deep breath, inhaling the biting scent of sulfur and immediately feeling the vibrations of power coming from the crack, indicating that indeed, hell's power was still rushing through him.

But what about the divinity he had, when he sculpted earth? It had been unimaginably big as he had been a loyal following footsoldier for his Father, which included extra amounts of divinity to stand at his disposal. And now? He was cast out and a fallen angel, without the Big One's special extra treat.

He could feel the warm tingling and the distinctive rush like a feel of weightlessness that only the heavenly divinity was able to cause inside of him. It was there. The question was: Was it enough? He reached for both sources of energy, heaven and hell, letting them travel through him as he stretched out his palms towards the crack.

Chloe observed him closely, expecting to once again see the dark smoke rise up from the ground, slithering up and around his extremities to gather in his hands. She could have sworn she felt a tingle rushing through her own legs and arms for a moment and it made her shiver. It wasn't scaring her, but felt oddly soothing. There was something lingering in the air, that felt light and powerful. _Powerful…_ she thought, looking at her palms in wonder.

A deep growl rumbled through Lucifer, the powers surging through him, when a black fog began to swirl up from the ground in two tentacle shapes, slithering around his feet and up his hip and torso. It was exhausting to concentrate. Grinding his teeth he let out another growl, his eyes blazing up with tension. The fog traveled further up, circling around his chest and parting to glide along his arms until reaching his palms. With a thrust, he shot the fog like darts at the wide breach, forcing it to cover and consume the wide casm to hell, but he immediately felt it wasn't enough. "It's not… it's not enough divinity…" he grunted through clenched teeth, breathing heavily.

 _This is… weird…_ Chloe's eyes wandered back and forth from Lucifer and the abyss towards her own palms. The tingling was getting stronger, almost burning. With worry, she saw how Lucifer began to tremble, his body suffering from the immense channeled power in his exhausted state. _Wait a second… I… I am…_ _It should be possible… theoretically, right?_ An idea formed in her head and with quick strides she stepped next to Lucifer and dipped in below his right outstretched arm.

"W-what the hell are you doing, Chloe?!" he commented with a grunt and frowned in irritation at her move when she turned to slightly rest her back against his chest.

"I'm trying something out!"

"I'm not sure your closeness is going to help me concen-"

"Do you trust me?" she cut him off, asking back over her shoulder, the black fog to her left and right making her tremble from deep within. Yes, she could certainly feel the connection.

Not sure what she wanted to do exactly, he frowned, but her question tugged at his heart. "Of course I do."

"Good." She took a deep breath and stretched out her arms, meeting the back of Lucifer's hands with her own palms. A surge of energy shot through her in an instant, accumulating her palms and transferring over into Lucifer's hands with a white flash of light.

Breathing heavily, Lucifer gasped out at the sudden flash. A burst of additional divinity felt as if it was injected into him, channeling into his hands. _Bloody hell, what… what... How is she doing that?_ He quickly forced himself to focus again, to control the stream of energy and unleash it in a stronger fog onto the crack in front of them. The myst began to spread further, and when it covered the whole width of the casm, Lucifer ordered it to push against the manifestation of the Styx, forcing it to part from the earthly plane. "It works…" he rasped surprised and further channeled the divine power from Chloe and him.

"Can you close it up?" Chloe asked, panting in unison with him, overwhelmed with the wave of new feelings, both physically and emotionally, that she hadn't ever experienced before. Her skin was itching and tingling all over. She felt fuzzy and warm, a strange sensation of peace wrapping around her.

"Yes… Yes I think so. It feels… like it's enough divinity." He nodded, his stubbles softly stroking against her temple. It was hard to focus his mind on the topic at hand - quite literally - as he felt his heart aching over what Chloe was doing. A small seed was rooting inside him, because seeing her actually emit divinity only led him to one possible conclusion. His Father, who had undoubtedly brought her back to life, had done something to her. And that set free quite a lot of back-breaking emotions inside of him - hurt, doubt, fear, anger, betrayal and consternation. God had done something to her and no matter what it might have been, he only thought of it as a different kind of manipulation, once again turning them all into puppets for the Grand Puppeteer.

But this was not the time to let his emotions crush him. He would get back at his Father for what He did to Chloe. _Because there is always a reason behind His actions... Something twisted and not out of the goodness of His omnipotent light-radiating heart… bloody bastard He is…_ He swallowed down his anger and worry and concentrated back on the divinity that washed through him. He recalled the time when he sculpted the face of the earth and used the memory of his work to help him move the ground beneath them. The black fog changed in color, becoming lighter until it became thick white. The earth rumbled and from deep below them, the crack started to close up, the matter shifting and merging together as if a wound was healing. Eventually the crack was sealed and the realms parted from each other. The fog dissolved and Lucifer dropped his arms, the connection to Chloe's hands breaking and the light in her palms disappearing.

 _We did it. We finally DID IT!_ Her mind was a freaking emotional rollercoaster and an almost hysteric smile crawled up her lips. Panting she turned to Lucifer, pressing her hands against his chest, feeling in return his trembling breath. But her smile wasn't returned from him. He didn't smile, not even one of his very tiny ones, that she had become quite good at spotting. No. Instead he seemed pensive and hesitant, evading even. He had his walls up. When he seemed to notice her irritation and dropping smile, he cleared his throat, looking around. She knew that behavior from him. He was avoiding a confrontation and she had a good idea about what that would be about.

Turning to the side, he looked at the raging flames that all of a sudden died down as the connection to hell was broken, leaving behind crackling and glimmering walls. "Alright, so… one big ugly crack to hell is closed up… which leaves us with another six to go," he muttered and looked at Zuriel, who observed him and Chloe closely. "I guess that means we are going to meet up with our siblings…"

Zuriel straightened himself and tensed his wings, both heavenly weapons ready in his hands. "And we both _love_ family reunions, don't we?" he spoke sarcastically. "Are you ready?"

"Yes… gotta be." He nodded at Zuriel before hesitantly glancing at Chloe.

"Can you take me?" she quietly asked, her eyes searching his for his trust in her. But she could tell he had his shields up.

"Sure."

When he wrapped his arms around her to fly off, she felt the awkwardness of the moment, the elephant in the room they didn't speak about, but she pushed it aside. As long as they could take care of the other cracks, a conversation had to wait until then.

* * *

For the next hour, the three of them travelled from one breach to the next in order to take care of hell's monsters, disconnecting the realms from each other and closing the massive holes in the ground.

The good thing was, that because of Gadreel being back in hell and the priests rightfully up in the Silver City, the connection between the realms was starting to break together on its own and hardly any other monster managed to get through. The bad thing was, that Lucifer was at the end of his tether. He was completely and ultimately exhausted.

Amenadiel, three more of pious loyal angels, Zuriel and Maze had gathered around the twenty meter wide crack, observing as Chloe and Lucifer used their power in a symbiotic looking way to close the last breach for good. They shared confused and wondrous looks with each other, irritated to see what Chloe was doing, but at the sight of Lucifer being barely able to stand, giving his last bits of energy, they didn't dare to say anything.

"Yes! Yes that's it! Just a little bit more!" Chloe called back at Lucifer, feeling as the divinity pushed from her palms over into Lucifer's hands in powerful bursts.

Grunting and weakly blinking as his vision was blurring more and more, he forced the last ounce of energy he could muster. A last burst and his body sank unceremoniously to the ground, first dropping to his knees and then slackly plunging onto its side. Blackness took him into its merciless embrace. No matter how much willpower he still might have left, exhausting himself to this level had been the last straw for his consciousness.

"Lucifer!?" Wide eyed and in shock, Chloe sank down next to him, pulling his head into her lap. "Hey…" She looked up, watching as the white fog did its last bits of work before it dissolved, leaving behind an area of plain earth and gravel. The last crack was closed. "Lucifer, it's all good… we did it… _you_ did it..." she panted out with a soft laugh and smile on her lips, although her brows frowned in worry at his unresponsive body. All she could identify, was his flat and fast breathing, with his eyes softly moving from side to side under his closed eyelids. He was deeply passed out.

"That was the last one. We should probably return home, brothers," one of the angels spoke to his brethren, his voice seeming slightly insecure. At last he met the eyes of the dark skinned angel. "Amenadiel? Are you coming with us?"

Amenadiel looked at the Devil's unconscious body, taking a deep, calming breath. All of them were covered in blood. They had fought for hours on end, took gruesome cuts and fractures, and their wings looked all ruffled and disordered. The dark angel's shoulders raised and sank in a sigh. "No. You go ahead. I will follow in a bit."

The small group of angels shared another moment of calculating, worried looks amongst each other. "But Father will-"

"Father knows that I will be back in the Silver City in due time. Just fly ahead." Amenadiel interrupted firmly, but not condescendingly, gave his siblings a gentle nod and stepped up towards Chloe, with both Zuriel and Maze joining him.

They all watched as the other angels quickly took off without further ado, leaving earth behind and returning to heaven.

"Yeah, no big surprise the feathered dickheads fly back to daddy so quickly." Maze growled and found Zuriel agreeing with a soft grunting laugh. "Hey Decker… that… that was some crazy shit you did there…" she muttered towards Chloe with a curious yet still mistrusting look, not sure what to think of what she had witnessed.

Tenderly caressing over his sweaty and stubbly cheek, Chloe pushed aside a sticky strand of curly hair from Lucifer's forehead. She didn't want to talk about this now. It had to wait. She wanted to sleep for until she couldn't lay anymore, and then the wish emerged to indulge herself in another three course menu from Lucifer, before having movie night with her daughter snuggled against her, while resting herself back into Lucifer's protective arms. Not responding to the demon's comment, she looked at Amenadiel. "Can you… can you help bring him home?"

Nodding thoughtfully he lowered himself into a crouching position next to her, pulling Lucifer carefully by his arm to lift him off the ground. "Of course, Chloe."

"Thank you." Her voice was small and grateful. "I'll take care of things here…" Then she turned to Maze who sheathed her daggers to the backside of her belt. The demon looked exhausted and Chloe noticed this was actually the first time she had seen her like this. Wanting to avoid further discussions about anything, she quietly spoke, "I think you can go home Maze. Trixie took your room, but you can sleep in her old room, if you want. I put the spare bed in it and all the things you left I stored in the basement."

Maze stared back at her surprised. She hadn't expected for Chloe to be so calm and thoughtful right now. But then she realized, that the human Detective was both kind and exhausted and simply too tired to talk about anything. Respecting that Chloe showed such compassion even under these circumstances, Maze gave her an acknowledging nod. "Sure. Thanks. Let me know when you need me, Decker." Turning to Zuriel, the demon nudged her chin at him in goodbye and walked off into the night.

"Goodbye Mazikeen," Zuriel uttered after her and rolled his right shoulder in means to lose some tension in it. He glanced at Lucifer's limp body, then at Chloe and Amenadiel. "I trust you take good care of him. I know you do. Hell is in chaos… I'm not sure how many of Lucifer's generals are still loyal, but I want to find out. We need to bring back order. It's going to take a while, but I'm sure it'll work out."

Chloe nodded, her fingers still gently caressing through Lucifer's damp hair for a moment longer before she carefully rose to her feet and took Zuriel into a tight embrace. Even though she knew her strength was weakened, she could feel Zuriel's shape tremble from her hug. He, too, was exhausted. The thought of him throwing himself back into fights down in hell was very disconcerting to say the least. "Be careful Zuriel," she whispered and looked up at him, his shimmering blue eyes, hovering at half mast, tiredly. "And thank you. For everything." She felt bad for not being able to offer him more, to have more thankful words and to let him know in detail what she thought of him. She wanted to, but she couldn't.

He gently pat her back before parting from her. "Of course, my queen. And... you're welcome... Chloe. I wish you all the best." Offering a last nod at Amenadiel, he flapped his ragged and ruffled looking black wings, disappearing from their view into the void between the realms.

"Second time I carry you bridal style, brother. You know how you never gonna hear the end of it." Amenadiel muttered with a soft laugh as he adjusted his hold on his brother. "Thank you Chloe." he suddenly added and looked her over from head to toe with a curious but also impressed expression. "You saved Earth and humanity. All of heaven and earth owe you for this."

"It's really Lucifer you have to thank, Amenadiel." She offered him a small smile and reached for her phone, realizing it wasn't there. _Great… another one gone…_ "Hold on a sec." She quickly reached into Lucifer's jacket, finding his phone. He wouldn't miss it for the next hour, she figured.

"I'll drop him off at the penthouse and just leave him be. You should probably take some well deserved rest as well, Chloe."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks Amenadiel."

"Anytime."

Watching Amenadiel and Lucifer disappear, Chloe quickly made a call with Dan, informing him, that she was alright. When he asked her if she knew something about Eden's Paradise, she made up a blurry explanation on the matter, telling him she was there, but couldn't find anything concerning the case. She was aware that somehow the whole case would need to be closed. For the moment, she didn't know how, but she knew she'd come up with a solution and how to best handle it after a couple of days of rest. Changing the topic, she asked about Trixie. Apparently Dan had her already over at his place, which she wasn't particularly sure of how to feel about it. On the one hand she had hoped to cuddle up with her daughter as soon as possible, on the other though, Chloe felt like she first needed to concentrate on her own wellbeing, and also get on terms with Lucifer, once he was able to talk again… She thanked Dan, hung up and called herself a cab. Of course she knew the drive would take a while to get to the penthouse, but she was glad for the few minutes to think about what had just happened.

* * *

His penthouse was dark and a soft cool breeze rushed towards her from a half-closed glass door to his balcony. As soon as she stepped further inside his spacious living room, she took off her shoes and tippy toed her way over into his bedroom, finding him asleep, his arms and legs stretched out like a star and his ruffled wings squashed beneath his back and sticking out over the width of the king size bed, unable to dip down due to him resting face up. She stood in the pathway for a few moments, just quietly observing his shape as he took deep, calm breaths. His head moved slightly upwards and to the side of his windows, the sweaty curls of his dark hair now dried together in a sticky way. She smiled, thinking about how he would probably bring it all back to perfection the next day. She didn't mind it either way, loving to roam her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer, no matter if dashingly handsome, exhaustedly ruffled or hotly disheveled.

Sneaking up towards the bed, she saw his wings lightly twitching the smallest bit every now and then, making her wonder if perhaps he was dreaming something. _Maybe he dreams about flying... Dogs dream about running, so angels dreaming about flying could be a thing, right?_ Letting out a quiet laugh, she opened her already messed up bun and carefully climbed into bed, making sure to not put any awkward tension onto his feathers as she lay down on his left side. His chest continued to rise and fall rhythmically for an endless moment, while she waited if he would wake up from her movement. But he didn't. _Yep. Definitely a deep sleeper._ Instead, he let out a soft murmur and curled his left arm in, and thus, pulling Chloe against him in a subconscious move. He wanted her close even while fast asleep.

Muttering something incoherent once more, his head turned towards her, followed by him shifting his whole body onto his side. In a lazy snuggling, he sighed and pulled her into his tight embrace, tucking her in under his chin and with a fluent move, his free wing rose over them, covering them like a protective feathery blanket. _Wow… he is deep asleep, so he really moves his wing subconsciously… Interesting..._ Chloe's surprise immediately turned into fascination at the feeling of his arms around her and his wing on top. The soft rumbling through his chest and in the back of his throat was calming her nerves and quickly drew her into an almost hypnotic state. Her eyes fluttered close within moments and she could feel the divinity of his wings tingling on her skin, sharing small amounts of his heavenly power with her and taking away her buzzing thoughts.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahhhh... I know! Some tension there! Some things are resolved it seems, as others need to be cleared. Don't worry about our two sweethearts though. The next chapter will be one massive treat for you all. See it like a very awesome Easter-present , coming to you next Tuesday! :D**


	30. Rebel Yell

**A/N: Happy Easter! As promised, a very, very special treat for you.**

 **Chapter Title/Song: Rebel Yell – Blakwall (Original by Billy Idol)**

* * *

Chapter 30

Rebel Yell

She knew it, even though her eyes were still closed. She felt him. It was as if her soul was touched, wrapped in a warm blanket of contentment and security, but there was also a hint of something divine about it. And at the thought on that, a light smile slipped up her lips. Deliberately she kept her eyes closed, albeit lightly, while she snuggled a little further in the pillow. "Has nobody ever taught you, that staring at a sleeping woman is kinda creepy?" she whispered and took a deep breath, inhaling his musky scent that made her body shiver the slightest bit.

"I wasn't staring," he answered in a husky tone. "I was… admiring." There was a short pause as if he was thinking a moment before he added, "And wondering, I guess you could say."

At that, she opened her eyes, finding Lucifer lying on his side, his upper body scooped up on one elbow and his head resting in his palm. It was such a simple and natural pose, yet she couldn't help the overwhelming effect it had on her. She realized he must have been up at night, at least shortly, because he wasn't wearing his blood smeared and torn up suit anymore, but laid next to her in only his boxers, with his wings tucked away as well. There was a beam of sunlight shimmering on the line of his skin from his right shoulder up towards his neck and she felt the distinct need to run her lips along it, knowing how much he had enjoyed her lips exploring his body at least as much as she had delighted in the feeling of his lips on her.

"Look who's staring now," he quipped slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Sorry..." she muttered a tiny bit embarrassed, feeling a warm rush in her cheeks. Blinking she pulled herself out of her gaze and looked back at him directly. "How are you?"

The muscles in his jaw tensed for a brief second. "My body is healing nicely." But there was no happiness about that fact showing in his eyes. Instead they looked sad, haunted almost.

She knew him well enough to understand that he gave her an easy answer. Because she hadn't just wanted to know about his physical, but also his emotional state. "Lucifer…" she began, but realized he actually _had_ fully answered her question, even without him vocalizing it. He didn't have to say it, in order for her to understand: He was in pain, not physically, but emotionally.

When he saw that she understood his response, he sighed, his throat and chest tightening with a tormenting pressure. "You were in the Silver City. I know that my Father ordered to have you be brought to Him instead of you going to hell because of the mark. And He also brought you back." he spoke quietly and swallowed. After some hesitation he continued, his eyes glistening and his voice just a mere trembling whisper. "What did He do to you?"

She frowned. _What his father_ did _to me?_ She felt her heart sink in her chest, realizing now, of course, he had come to the conclusion that somehow God once again had done something to pull the strings, to use them as His pawns in His galactic game. Shaking her head softly, she rose to a sitting position next to him. "Not Him. It was your light," she clarified carefully and gently. She tried taking away some of the worry she saw in his eyes, by offering him a warm smile, letting him now that her words were not meant as an accusation.

Even though he usually loved to see her smile, her attempts to appease him were in vein and his frown deepened. "My light? What happened?"

"It changed me," she began carefully and watched his shoulders sink from a quiet sigh leaving his chest.

"I figured that much," he muttered, his eyes seeming to darken. "Changed you into _what_?"

So this was it. She knew she had to tell him, but really, what easy way on how to go about it was there? None. There simply was none. The only option she had was to just get straight to the point. When she started to speak, she could feel something automatically rolling over her tongue, as if she was saying something she had already said a million times before, so that eventually it had become instinctive. Her voice was soft, and she knew immediately while she was speaking, that she was speaking in tunes, she had only done one other time before. "Into Vah Shul."

He stared at her, shivering. Her voice was laced with so many facets like all the colours of a rainbow thrown into a kaleidoscope, warm, soothing and caressing his soul. She touched it, his soul, with her voice and it was breathtakingly beautiful, causing tears to well up in his eyes from emotions overwhelming him. He remembered how she had tried speaking the words to him and how he had smiled in amusement, because her human vocal cords couldn't reproduce the sounds of the angel language. And he had secretly regretted that he hadn't heard her speak it before. And now... now he heard her, and he wasn't sure what to think of it. "How's that possible?" he whispered and sat up straight, his brown eyes darting into her, taking in every inch of her, every tiny movement, as if it would help him understand. "Humans can't speak the-" he broke off, his eyes blinking in confusion and a sudden apprehension that started to grown inside him. "W-what does that mean? I… I don't understand…"

Chloe bit on her lower lip, taking in a deep breath. The emotions flooding his expressions were tormenting to watch. Inching closer to him, she carefully took his right hand into hers. "Lucifer… Let me explain." She could tell he was trying to compose himself, but couldn't stop the slight tremors vibrating in his hand. Seeing him nod quietly she gently started to caress him with her thumb. "Your star, the Morningstar, it's not just a star." Upon seeing him part his lips and deepen his frown, she held up her free hand to stop him from asking. "Just hear me out." Again he nodded and stayed quiet. "When you created it, you did something, without knowing what it was. You told me, that you felt it was like an instinct. That you had to do it and… that it was _perfect_." She watched his reaction, observing as his eyes wandered off while his mind recalled the memories she talked about.

"It _was_ perfect," he insisted quietly and his voice turned darker and laced with pain. Briefly his eyes lost their focus and he seemed a million miles away, clearly thinking about a time where time hadn't even existed. "I was proud of it and He was angry with me, because of that. The other stars I created afterwards… they weren't the same."

"What you did… it was perfect… yes…" she agreed, squeezing his hand. "But the star itself… it wasn't the right vessel for your light." She watched as his eyes locked with hers in focus. " _I_ was. Your light… it… _you_... you made me an angel."

Something struck in his chest as her words sank in. His eyes fluttered and he swallowed thickly. "What?" His voice was hoarse as he shifted his weight, pulling back a few inches. "An… angel? But that's imposs- You can't simply change species. I mean… I… I can't…" Shaking his head, his frown deepened. "That… that can't be true." he breathed, his voice breaking. "I can't… I can't _create_ … I'm not…"

"Lucifer… your star, the Morningstar, it's different from the other stars… You said it yourself…" Wettening her lips, she scooped closer again, this time, not giving him space to retreat any further. She climbed up to straddle his lap, tenderly taking his face into her palms. He looked so lost, so confused and she hated it. She wanted to take it away, all of it. "It basically is an angel in a star."

Another wave of emotions rushed through him, the touch of her skin feeling electrifying in an odd, new way. His lips parted as he breathed heavily, blinking once more and freeing the tears he had forced back for so long. "He made me… turn you… into one of His… bloody foot soldiers…" his voice was thick from anger and despair clearly audible in the trembling and pressed tone of his words, the grinding teeth just adding to it.

 _And again.. He thinks that this is yet another pull on the strings his father holds in His hands... I fucking hate Him so much for this… so… GODDAMN much..._ "You misunderstand… I'm not _His_ angel, Lucifer," she spoke about God with disdain, before softening her voice again. "I'm _yours_. You created me, free and with no heavenly strings attached whatsoever. No following His orders or anything like that. I'm free. Because of you."

"My angel?" he whispered, his eyes widening. "I made you _mine…"_

Her eyes sparkled as she leaned in, resting her forehead against his and caressing his cheeks. "Yes… I'm yours Lucifer. All yours. Your Detective. Your queen. Your love. And now, your angel."

It was like the universe was bursting around him. Memories and feelings impacted on him. He recalled the thoughts he had about her in the past. Everything he knew about her. Every strange yet alluring single thing that suddenly made sense.

 _She's a miracle…_

 _She's immune to my charms..._

 _She looks heaven sent..._

 _She tastes divine..._

 _She smells heavenly..._

 _She can pray to me…_

 _Her prayers sound like heavenly bells..._

 _She speaks the angel tongue..._

 _She's free…_

 _She's my angel…_

 _Yes… of course… she is angelic. She always has been divine in some way to me._

 _I made… an angel… Dad had her created… She was a miracle and I… made her... become an angel… and… I… Bloody hell, had Dad planned_ all _of this? Did He even plan on me having all those_ thoughts _about her? All those damn heavenly synonyms? Why did I have to give her my bloody light!? Changing her bloody species!?_

"Lucifer?" Chloe's ocean-blue eyes nervously searched in his expression for his state. He had frozen in place for a full minute and stared ahead into nothingness, without even blinking. It was as if he was in shock. "Lucifer… hey, are you okay? You're starting to scare me… Look at me… Say something…"

"I didn't know…" he spoke in a hushed tone, his eyelids fluttering as he came back to the moment, gazing back at her. "I'm so sorry… I didn't know…"

Confused, she shook her head, caressing over his scruff. "What do you mean? Of course you didn't know what was going on-"

"N-no… I mean… when I gave you my light I… I didn't know what it would do to you in the long run… I… I…" he broke off shortly, pain distorting his features. "You didn't _ask_ for this to happen to you… you… you had no _choice_ …"

She sighed out a deep breath, resting her forehead against his and running her fingers into his hair. "Sometimes, Lucifer, we don't get to have a choice… because we don't know all the details. That doesn't mean I don't want this though…"

"But HE knew! He _planned_ this! He _wanted_ this to happen! He knew _all_ of it! He created you, so that we'd meet and fall in love and then I would give you my light eventually and you'd change and neither YOU nor I had ANY say in this!" he almost snarled, angry and in pain, the betrayal and hurt making him crumble beneath her. He panted in rage over his Father's manipulation.

"He said… He had to hold you back… when you had created the Morningstar…" she muttered, remembering God's words. She vaguely wondered how she actually remembered this small bit, but it was clearly popping up in her mind as if her memories weren't laced with a fog of oblivion.

"What?" Lucifer's voice broke again as he looked back at her, irritated. _What is she saying? He_ had _to hold me back?_ "W-why?"

"He said you weren't ready…"

"Ready? Ready for… for creating… an angel, well, an flawed angel," he concluded with a frown, the fuming rage suddenly subsiding. "He… He stopped me from going on… If… if He hadn't said anything… I guess I would have done it again… created another star like the Morningstar, perhaps… I dunno…" He shook his head in confusion. Why was it always like this with his Father? He set something in motion for millennia to have a certain outcome and then? He left his children and humanity clueless about His reasons.

"He knew that it just wasn't the right time. I mean… It seems He wanted for You and I to eventually have each other. He being omniscient… he knew he would have me created as a miracle… and He knew that you would transform me. He wanted all this for us, and to be honest… I'm quite happy about that." Lovingly she put some more pressure to his cheeks, making him look back at her steadily. "Lucifer, I told you… whatever happened, how and for whatever reason it might have happened, I am okay with this."

The pain in his expression changed and was slowly replaced by a wave of surprise and a flicker of hope. "You are okay with… with being… an angel?" he asked shyly and thoroughly bewildered.

A soft sob and laugh fell past her lips as she rested her forehead against his once more, nuzzling her nose against his and enjoying the warmth he readiated. "Yes, I think I am… And I'm not just _any_ angel." Her eyes seemed to smolder with love and devotion. "I'm literally a Morningstar angel."

His mind was reeling back and forth and nothing seemed to make any sense. How was she able to not be angry at his Father, who set all of this in motion and had things turn out just the way He wanted to? And why wasn't she at least angry or upset with _him_ , as he had been the main cause to all of the harm that happened to her lately? She wouldn't have been the target of so many celestial dangers that only hailed down onto her because of him being in her life. And how could this be what his Father wanted? How could He want for Chloe to exist, be exposed to so much danger, and to have His son be the direct reason for it? "Why aren't you angry with _me_?"

"Oh Lucifer…" she sobbed, smiling, unable to keep her own tears at bay. "How on earth could I be angry with you about this?" He was far too wrapped up in his worries she realized and she had enough of it. She had enough of the pain they both endured and she had enough of the worries they had about each other's condition and about what his damn father had to do with all of it. She felt desperately in _need_ of him. To feel him and let them both heal. Hugging him tightly and pressing her lips against his ear, she hummed, "I've missed you."

It was incomprehensible to Lucifer, how she was able to do it, yet within moments the weight of his worries was washed away, her words and touch like a cleansing fire to his troubled mind. Shivering at the feel of her soft lips against his ear, he slung one arm around her slender frame, pulling her body against his, while his other traveled into her rich blonde hair. "I've missed you, too. Please… take all of me, my love," his husky deep voice murmured, planting featherlight kisses along her neck. He could instantly hear her breathing accelerate, causing his own to do just the same. Her reactions to his touch were pure enticement for his own desire.

"Mmm… Good… Because otherwise I think I would have burned from the inside out." she responded, unable to hold back a quiet moan when she felt his teeth slightly grazing and biting in the crook between her neck and jaw.

Smiling against her skin, he soothed the spot with a quick lick and kiss. "I can still arrange that, if you want me to…" he purred.

With another moan she arched into him, her fingers roaming into his hair and pulling him up towards her face. Feverishly she claimed his lips and was rewarded with an all too eager tongue of Lucifer's, hungrily and needily battling for dominance with hers. She felt his hands lower, brushing along her sides until they grabbed a hold of the hem of her shirt.

Pulling away for air, he almost ripped her shirt off and over her head, longing to finally feel her hot skin against his own. It only took two seconds and their lips crushed together again. With her legs still straddling his lap, he slung his arms tightly around her waist, whirling her around and rolling her beneath him. With a deep growl, he let his eyes roam over her body, enjoying how her burgundy lace bra was perfectly pronouncing her breasts and slender curves, while he made sure she could feel his lower body's reaction pressing against her heat. "You are so beautiful," he praised her, planting kisses along her collarbone before returning to her lips.

Sharing heated breaths with each other as he lay on top of her, she ran her fingers over his bare chest, the wounds from the previous days fights almost healed up. The most prominent one still present was in the middle of his chest where Gadreel's mace had hit him. "So are you." She leaned up and caringly kissed it before resting back again, admiring the looks and feels of him.

He whimpered quietly at her kiss, not because the wound still hurt, but because her lips felt pleasantly electrifying. He placed his palms next to her head on the bed for balance, rolling his hips into hers once more and smirked at her shuddering and moaning beneath him. Satisfied with her knowing for certainty now how turned on he was, he leaned down to her chest, kissing over her mounds and ghosting along the valley towards her stomach, every now and then planting yet another feather light kiss, licking or gently grazing his teeth over her soft skin.

Chloe bit on her bottom lip to suppress yet another moan that threatened to overtake her. She reached into his hair again, loving it to make a mess out of it as he was lustfully starting to devour her. With his lips feeling so intoxicating, she had to push aside the longing to feel them back against her own, as what she craved much more was to feel them somewhere else and she was happily enduring the wait before she could taste him again.

Lucifer moved his mouth deliberately slow over her stomach, brushing past her navel with a hot exhale. As he reached the waistband of her jeans, he took in a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes when the scent of her heat, that already radiated from her, hit his nostrils, before helping her getting rid of the unwanted fabric. Tossing the jeans aside he quickly let her knickers follow, although as soon as they were off and he took another deep breath, his eyes flamed up. "Bloody hell, I can _smell_ how wet you are, and I barely even touched you…" he groaned and lay down, dipping his head between her legs. The smell of her wetness was beyond alluring. With a smirk he closed in on her, teasing her with his hot breath, drawing out a long moan from his beloved Detective. _No… not just my Detective anymore. An angel…_ my _angel…_ He took a gentle hold on her thighs, wanting to have a grip on her and making sure, his angel wasn't about to disappear all of a sudden. With anticipation he licked her once in a slow and long stroke, lapping up her wetness as if it was a divine nectar, his ambrosia. And theoretically, it was. And it was quite certainly addictive, he momentarily thought, as he continued with his ministrations.

She was thankful that he wasn't teasing her, because she didn't want to wait one second longer to feel him. "Oh yess…" Chloe groaned out in bliss and spread her legs further, once more burying her fingers into his curls and pushing him against her heat. When she didn't hear Lucifer chuckle, but instead growl at her move, she was reconfirmed that he was also not up for much teasing. In fact, when he continued to lick her juices his fingers dug in more strongly into her thighs and the sounds coming from him could only be compared to a wild animal, finally, after having starved for days, able to relish in its well deserved prey. She smiled at the thought, knowing that he craved her just as much as she craved him. Her eyes rolled back in a sudden wave of different pleasure, feeling how he was thrusting into her with his tongue and starting to alternate his piercing move with licks, kisses and sucks, truly indulging in the feast she displayed for him to devour.

He basically _drank_ from her and it felt like the more he did so, the more her body offered to him. Yes. It _was_ addictive and he couldn't think of any other drug he would so gladly succumb to. He heard her moan his name, at first quietly, then louder, again and again, and he knew he was driving her closer to her release. He could feel it in the way her hips rolled against him, in the way she fluttered around his tongue and made those sweet, high pitched sounds. He yearned to see her crumble beneath his ministrations, desiring for his own selfish being to watch her tremble, to feel her contract around him as he pushed her into the sweet delirium of a divine climax. The grip she had onto his hair was painful yet arousing at the same time, being yet another indicator of her body losing control. "Mmmm… Chloe…" he groaned into her in between his licks, sucks and thrusts, "Come for me..."

The heat was building so rapidly inside her, she was actually bewildered. _Had it always been like this?_ she wondered somewhere in the back of her mind, but was ripped back out of her thoughts as her body was pushed over the edge. Grinding her hips up against his mouth, she let her head fall back into the sheets, crying out his name while her body trembled and convulsed through her orgasm. She felt his body shift, his lips pulling away, making her tremble again in the afterglow.

Breathing arduously, Lucifer crawled up along her body, his eyes sparkling, lips parted and still glistening from her arousal. Leaning down to her face, he sheepishly smiled when she roughly pulled him in to kiss him with force and hunger. Her moans vibtrated into his mouth as he shared the taste of her heat with her and he let her passionately battle his tongue.

Biting and sucking on each others lips, Chloe felt her insides tingling again, letting her know that she was quite ready for the next round to happen. _ASAP!_ her mind yelled in carnal fever. She reached down to his waist, moaning longingly when she spotted the prominent big bulge in his boxers. With joined movements, she released him from his last piece of clothing and relished in Lucifer's reaction when his eyes fell shut with a relieved sigh, followed by a moan, his head rolling back as her fingers wrapped around him.

"Oh yesss…" He panted, his eyes darkening and his lashes fluttering from the overwhelming delight as her soft fingers started to stroke him. He fell forward onto his palms again, his legs in between hers as he pressed against her wetness, and then he buried himself all the way inside her with one swift thrust. Both of them groaned in sync, gasping at the sensation and happy of their physical reunion. He loved her tightness, enjoying that, of course, his tongue had been hardly any preparation for his throbbing erection penetrating her deep and filling her to the brim.

While Chloe was dripping wet for him, she pulled him in with her muscles, tightening around him in waves and being rewarded with whimpering cries of joy from Lucifer. Simultaneously her hands splayed out on his chest, fingers digging in, yearning to feel his muscles flex as he began to rock his body against hers. He thrusted deep and in a rough, fast pace, hitting her in the way that caused her the greatest satisfaction. He knew how to please, knew the spots in and on her body that would drive her mad. And so it didn't take much longer and her build up was almost at its next cliff, ready to be pushed over the edge again. "Lucifer, I'm close…" she pressed through clenched teeth, informing him.

"I know…" he breathed, jerking his hips rhythmically, "Don't worry, love. We've got all day..." The feeling of her so deliciously tight and wet, their skin grinding against skin and the sight of her… it drove him closer to his own release with every thrust he made. He growled when her legs curled around his lower back, making him penetrate her even deeper and suddenly he realized the way she gazed at him. Her eyes, although seeming in a daze, stared directly into his soul. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. Despite the feeling of being stripped emotionally bare from her eyes looking at him like this, he felt the divine connection they shared, causing a rush deep in the base of his member, making it throb and harden further.

She could feel him harden, feel him tremble inside her depths as she gazed back at him with an expression of lust and need, mixed with admiration and awe. His thrusts made him grind against her most sensitive inner spot in such rapid speed, it had become thick and swollen within moments. She ran her left hand to his flank, tightly gripping onto him while her right still had an unwavering hold on his hair, making him continue to look at her. And all of a sudden, the pressure inside her was too much to hold. Her vision blurred and her world imploded. "Lucifer!" she cried out, her head falling back as her body arched up against his with her hips continuing to frenziedly roll out her orgasm. But her walls were clamping in intervals onto his length with such demand, they were not letting him make another thrust.

He stared back at her, his eyes and mouth open from both wonder and desire, watching and feeling as she came on him, hard. So hard actually, that he was literally unable to move. Both, her legs and her inside walls held him locked in place. When he felt her walls contract, his body went into overdrive. "Ngh… fuck!" he grunted, lowering his upper body down on top of hers, shuddering all over and unable to move his hips. Biting down into her neck, he growled, frustrated about the lack of friction, desperately wanting more. Her walls clenched harder and he firmly squeezed his eyes shut, the contracting tightness around him finally too much. "Chloe!" he cried out against her ear, climaxing along with her and feeling himself pulsing and pumping, his release spilling deep into her. He felt her slowly ease the tension of her legs around him and he immediately buckled his hips brutishly into her, his erection not dwindling, but craving more, again, because his metabolism granted him continuing stiffness for both their pleasure and satisfaction.

"That was just the beginning, darling," he breathed low and lusciously, his sexual desire for her dripping with every word he spoke. Panting and with a film of sweat covering them both, Lucifer wrapped one arm around her while with the other he pushed them up into a half-sitting position. He moved her onto his lap, having her knees nestle next to his thighs as he rested backwards onto his free elbow and began to thrust upwards, not giving her time to come down from her high.

She let out a gasp at his moves, surprised at his eagerness, his delicious relentlessness of not giving her the tiniest breather in between their orgasms. Pushing her palms against his shoulders for leverage, she rode him, meeting his sharp movements with her own. Her eyes fell shut as she groaned out again and again, his cock seeming to pulse heavily again within seconds. Lucifer's hands reached behind her back, swiftly and finally getting rid of her bra. Leaning up he caught her bouncing right breast with his palm, squeezing and massaging it, while he captured her left nipple with his mouth, licking, sucking and biting at it lasciviously, while her hips continued to grind down on him.

It was when his right hands fingers hungrily scraped over her back, that Chloe arched into him with a surprised, high pitched groan, shivering all over, unable to focus on her riding movements on him. He immediately stopped his attention to her breasts, looking up at her in wonder. "Is everything alright, love?" he breathed, tenderly stroking his digits over her left shoulder blade.

She cried out again in a strangely sensitive reaction, her eyes squeezing shut as she pushed her body's length down onto him. The touch of him caused shivers and tingles to rush through her from her back into the rest of her body with an intensity she never experienced before. It was electrifying, lustful, arousing, raw, pure and just so much _more_ all at the same time and there was something about it that felt not from this world. Not only that. It felt as if something inside her stirred with a primal yearn to break free, but her mind couldn't pinpoint what was going on. "Wh-what are you doing?" she panted confused, burying her face in the crook of his neck, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

"Nothing, love… Did… did I hurt you somehow?" he quietly asked, turning his head and gently kissing her temple.

She slightly shook her head, trying to calm herself with some deep breaths. "N-no.. it… it was… inside. I cannot describe it really, but… it's like… a need. Like the wish from your lungs to inhale when you need to breathe. But it's something else inside me that… needs something."

He frowned in wonder and curiosity, keeping his lips pressed against her temple, his breathing calming slowly down with hers. "And what is it that you think you need? Can you describe it to me?" Slowly he trailed his hands down the side of her back until he rested them on her waist. He noticed her immediate shiver at his move, wondering if she perhaps was just highly sensitive and aroused, craving another release, or if this was about something else.

She took in trembling breaths, nuzzling her nose to the side of his cheek. "As if I need to stretch, like my body is not having enough space…"

 _Oh… Of course…_ A small smile appeared on his lips. He knew that feeling all too well. Of course she would feel it and she wouldn't know what to do about it. An idea struck him and he hummed against her ear. "Let me try something, alright?" He waited and felt her nod against the side of his face in agreement. "All you have to do, is relax and let it happen without worrying or thinking about it." Again he waited for her response. She hesitated a moment, but eventually breathed her 'okay' into his ear.

With caution he placed both his hands against her hips, still being stiff and fully buried inside her. Gently he laid himself back down on the bed with her resting on top of him. He could feel her walls still clenching around him every now and then, well aware of the pleasure he caused. He slowly let his fingers trail to her lower back, paying attention to her reaction. But aside from her already hitched breathing and slight shivering, she didn't seem additionally influenced, so he ran his fingers up her mid back.

From one moment to the next, Chloe suddenly groaned out, sounding desperate from arousal, but at the same time from a strange unmet desire, and as he figured, a very specific way of _release_. She began to shift in his hold, wiggle, undecided whether or not she wanted to get away or to get more of his touch, but he took away the decision from her, pressing his fingers slightly harder into her skin below her shoulders, keeping her in his hold. His more determined touch caused her hands to grip into the sheets, knuckles turning white as she arched her back further.

"L-Lucif-f-feeer!" she moaned, her lips parted as a wave of tingles rushing through her back, intensifying with every millimeter Lucifer brushed over and into her skin. Something in her back tensed and warped and she whimpered, feeling tears welling up in her eyes, worried about what was happening to her.

"It's alright, love. Breathe… just relax and let it happen… Trust me," he encouraged her lovingly and very lightly buckled his hips, purring at the sensation, while once again increasing the pressure from his fingers digging into her back.

She whimpered but followed his instruction and focused on her breathing. Something inside her felt as if it was tearing her from the inside out, but without feeling painful. And then there was a release of pressure. _Finally!_ It was accompanied from a brush of air over her body and a strange sound. All together in fact it felt quite pleasant in comparison to all the tension that had lingered in her back before. She sighed, relaxing against him, with her eyes closed. "Mmmm… whatever you did... Much better... " she muttered with a smile on her lips, "Thank you."

"Chloe…" he mumbled against her ear, his voice cracking. His hands had dropped to his sides onto the bed sheets, his chest raising and sinking from his heavy and tensed breathing.

There was something in his tone that immediately worried her. She noticed he wasn't caressing her with his hands anymore and she missed the electrifying sensations his fingertips caused on her skin. Pushing herself up to look at him, she saw Lucifer gazing with wide, glistening eyes over her shoulder, his lower lip trembling. "W-what is it? Lucifer?" When he didn't react she turned to look over her shoulder and gasped. " JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" She turned her head over her other shoulder, her eyes wide in shock, watching as a pair of massive white wings, sprinkled with small golden feathers in between, began to agitatedly twitch and flap behind her back.

A bit dumbfounded, Lucifer swallowed, blinked and looked her over in awe. "Wow…" he whispered meekly.

She turned back to him, her brows raised in surprise at his reaction. Her wings however seemed to still have a mind of their own, not calming down their quick and almost erratic movements. "I… I can't control them…"

Licking his lips, Lucifer gently placed his hands on her arms. "You… you need to take a few deep breaths… They feel your own excitement, your worries, your pulse, your thoughts. So just... breathe." He watched her take several deep, slow breaths and eventually the wings relaxed, staying in a semi-spread position. "Yes… yes, just like that. Well done, darling…" He smiled at her and couldn't keep himself from admiring her wings once again. "Like I said… Wow. They are _so_ beautiful. _You..._ are so beautiful." The sight of her wings was breathtaking. _She's an angel…_ He felt completely overwhelmed by her divine attachments. How ironic, he thought, that the Devil, an angel as well, who has been alive since millions of years, gets this awestruck from seeing a fellow kinsman. "May I touch them?" he whispered in a daze, looking back into her ocean blue eyes a bit anxiously. He immediately sighed and shook his head. "Did I just really ask that out loud? Bloody hell… You must think I'm a freaking perv-"

"Yes," she responded with a small voice. "Touch them."

He gulped and slowly sat up again, still keeping them both interlinked. Taking a deep breath to calm his own excitement and nervosity, he reached out to the small bow of her right wing, in between her neck and shoulder. The moment his fingertips brushed against the white and golden feathers, Chloe hummed, suppressing another moan. Yes… he knew exactly what she felt. They were very, _very_ sensitive to the touch. A little smile tugged at his lips, his eyes starting to sparkle with re-ignited desire for her. He slipped his fingers further around the wingbow, squeezing. Her eyes fluttered close and this time he used his free hand to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb over her plum swollen lips, not letting her suppress the moan he caused to roll over them. "Yes…" he breathed hottly, leaning in to her neck and feeling how he was throbbing hard inside her. "Please… please let me hear you, Chloe."

She leaned into his palm, lips parting and letting his thumb press against her front teeth. The sensations he caused on her wings, her face and deep inside her with their bodies starting to grind once again, felt like an otherworldly delirium. It was almost too much to handle. Too much to experience with all her senses. Almost. Hungrily, she pushed herself up and down on him, rolling her hips and seeking more friction. Slightly she stroked her tongue over his thumb before her lips closed around it, sucking until she released a new wave of fervent moans for him to enjoy.

His body felt on fire with her. It was as if the combination of their bodies was like the energy of the whole universe imploding like a supernova. He growled, kissing and licking her breasts as he continued to thrust up into her sweet wet sanctuary, hard and fast. She cried out in bliss when he sharpened his movements and laid them both back down, causing him to change his angle of penetration. He brushed his hand away from her delicate mouth, along her neck and then took a hold on her other wing, now applying pressure to both simultaneously. Setting his feet on the bed, he forcefully thrusted up into her again, this time increasing his speed even further, making them both exchange salacious groans in between their heated, shared breaths.

Incessantly their bodies connected as he took her from beneath and she met his movements with her own grinding hips, accompanied from the slick, wet sounds of their meeting groins. "Ugh… ngh... You like this... don't you?" he panted, his voice a whisper, thick from desire, seduction and primal craving for her. "When I take you so roughly?" he continued in between his heavy panting, watching her closely as he spoke. "When I bury my cock so deep and hard inside of you?" His eyes seemed to darken and there was a hint of a predatory smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He loved talking to her like this, wanting to hear and see her reactions, because he knew how much of a turn on this was not only for himself but also for her. And he was instantly rewarded with an almost frantic, desperate groan falling from her mouth. Oh yes… they both loved this.

His voice was like oil to an already raging fire of passion and Chloe felt her vision blur. She loved to hear his husky voice murmuring all those naughty things to her. She enjoyed the sharp movements of him, his hands gripping hers, guiding her along so that they both felt each other perfectly with every thrust he made. She knew he was quite brutish with her, but at the same time, it was full of passion and admiration. He was cherishing her, worshipping her even. And it was exactly what she wanted, what she _needed_. "Yesss… ngh… Lucifer… I love it... Please… please don't stop..." She was close to her third orgasm, her walls already starting to flutter around him as he pounded into her wetness relentlessly. She could hear and feel his growls rumbling from his chest beneath her and it was only adding to her need for him. In a blur, his lips suddenly crashed against her, letting his deep growls vibrate directly into her body. Willingly, she let him invade her mouth, their tongues feverishly battling with each other until both had to break apart for some air.

His eyes roamed over her features, taking in every inch of her perfect skin, so deliciously rosy and covered in small droplets of sweat. He watched as her wings trembled in union with their movements, their divine glow like that of a dazzling epiphany. And to him she was exactly that. His personal deity. With gusto, he stroked along her wingbones, using his hold onto them to increase his pace. Their bodies rocked in sync with each other, albeit roughly and frantic, not caring about appearances, but with all the endless amount of desire they held for each other.

And all of a sudden, Lucifer felt his self control slipping away. With a growl, his eyes went ablaze with hellfire, his expression turning darker, more demanding and wolfish. Skillfully he pushed Chloe backwards, making her lay on her back without losing the connection to her. He kept his palms at her wings, pressing them into the mattress, pinning them to the spot. "Mine…" he snarled darkly, lasciviously smirking as he let his tall frame press down against her, knowing how much she liked to feel his weight and see their height difference. He groaned when she slung her legs around him, her thighs pressing into his sides. Frantically thrusting, he eventually removed his hands from her wings and rested on his elbows, framing her face and lowering his forehead against hers. That way, he could gaze directly at her with his glowing red eyes.

"Yes… Yes… all yours…" Chloe gasped in heat, arching her chest at him and moaning lewdly when she looked in his hellfire eyes. Her walls reacted, feeling all thick and hypersensitive once again and she knew she just needed a little more. By now their sex had become raw, clumsy and wild, since both of them had far too much tension built up, and they both wanted to explore and let it all out. Squeezing herself with all her pelvic muscles onto him, she was rewarded with Lucifer roaring and increasing the force of his thrusts a little more.

He was in a frenzy from her move and it was all he needed to climax again. He trembled as he came hard, feeling as he filled her more and more. That knowledge alone was yet another turn on for their next round. He reached down to roughly play with her left nipple, while his other hand took a firm grip on her hair as he continued to take her, not allowing himself to enjoy this climax alone. He could feel his cock still pulsing heavily, even though he had just come inside her twice, urging her on, wanting her delicious wet walls to tremble around him.

She whimpered in sheer awe and overwhelming pleasure, feeling how he filled her with his release, and it was all she needed to fall over the edge a third time. She gripped onto his arms, convulsing and trembling beneath him in uncontrollable waves of delirium until eventually she relaxed beneath him, trying to catch her breath.

They were dripping from sweat, their bodies basically glowing from the divine heat they bathed in. Murmuring something incoherently, Lucifer nuzzled into her neck, grazing his teeth over her skin, slowing down his rocking movements against her to a lazy pace. But _never_ stopping. Tilting his head slightly, he brushed his lips against her ear, inhaling her scent. "Mmm… You feel so bloody good…"

A moment of contemplation and memories washed over him, bringing up once again all the events of the last month. With Chloe seeing his Devil face, her miraculously not being afraid of him and actually tending to his wounded wings as they had been riddled with bullets. He recalled how they both mended the cracks of their relationship and eventually him confessing his desire and wish of belonging to her. He had told her before, during their passionate nights of lovemaking, how much he loved her, how he would always love her, no matter what. He had given her this promise, knowing he would outlive her as an immortal being, so for him to proclaim his love for her for all eternity, was quite a promise, one he had made without hesitation. And now that he felt her divinity, now that he could feel the light of eternity running through her every cell, it was no different. He would always love her. His detective who went through hell to save him. "Mmm… I love you, Chloe." he whispered affectionately and planted a kiss to her temple, smiling contentedly.

Chloe felt absolutely and fully content, feeling him everywhere. _Really_ feeling him. Caressing his back with one hand, she used her other to playfully run through his curly sweaty hair. "I love you, too, Lucifer." After a few moments though, she softly pulled his head back to look at him with a small smirk on her lips, causing him to stop his slow, lazy movements. "But we should really take a shower." Her eyelids fluttered and her breasts were still heaving from their fast paced sex, and she was quite sure that she was currently experiencing first handedly what having a celestial metabolism actually meant, because there simply was no recuperation time necessary. She was ready for the next round. Ready for more of this mind blowing sex _all the time_. Upon seeing his eyes narrow at her remark, apparently not appreciating the idea of stopping their coital rollercoaster ride, she bit her lower lip. "Or we could just move the action there…"

That changed his expression in an instant. His eyes began to sparkle darkly and a whimsically smirk slipped up on his lips. "Mmmm… much better… my naughty little minx!" Not giving her any time to protest, he took a hold on her waist and jumped with her off the bed, lifting her up bridal style, although he immediately stopped dead track, glancing hesitantly from the pathway of his bathroom over her shoulders. "You… need to draw them back… I told you… they are bloody mahoosive and unwieldy… Unless you want to take a bath in the waterfall?" He rose an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

Chloe let out a light snicker, remembering the little show he had put on when cleaning his wings. It truly had been a marvellous thing to watch. She considered it for a moment, but decided they could still do it another time. "How do I draw them back?"

"Close your eyes," he instructed her with a small smile. "Now, breathe and try to feel into your wings. Recognise their movement, the muscles along your wingbones, the divine energy coursing through them… feel your light." He observed her as she followed his guiding.

It didn't take long at all for her to feel what he'd meant. The connection of her wings to the plane of light, their movement, the power that surged through her, it was immense. "I can feel it all," she whispered with a proud smile.

"Good, now just picture how you let that energy sink back into your body. Think of it as if you'd curl yourself up into a ball to make yourself a bit smaller." He let out a soft laugh, watching as she seemed to concentrate again. A moment later she inhaled deeply, rolled her shoulders and her wings drew back. "I guess I shouldn't be impressed anymore by all the things you manage to do, but I really can't help it. You're simply amazing, darling." He smirked, seeing her blush at his compliment, and slipped with her into the bathroom.

They both had to admit, they were filthy. Covered in sweat and their fluids of arousal, they both were in need of a cleanup from head to toe. But that didn't stop Lucifer from dominantly taking her against the shower walls from behind, making her come a fourth time, before even giving her the chance of applying shampoo to her hair. And even when they had finally managed to clean themselves up appropriately, he didn't let her leave the shower before giving her a fifth climax on his talented long fingers. He was absolutely relentless with her and she loved it.

Throughout the whole day, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Only when both their stomachs were viciously growling, they took a few minutes to grab a drink and sate their hunger for earthly nutritions before claiming each other on yet another piece of the penthouse's furniture. The sun was starting to settle, flooding the living room in a warm orange. Their latest 'makeout' had taken place against one of the bookshelves, filled with ancient writings Lucifer had collected during his visits to earth. Lucifer was lying on the marble floor, his arms tightly wrapped around Chloe, who was resting on his chest on top of him. She listened as both their breathing calmed down slowly, a pleasant silence lingering in the air as they simply enjoyed the moment.

It was Lucifer who eventually spoke up, still basking in the divine warmth that radiated from both their bodies in the afterglow of their latest climax. "I completely forgot to ask… what actually happened after I so gallantly lost consciousness?"

She let out a soft laugh, running her fingers in circles over his chest. "Well… after you hit the ground like a rock," she began teasingly with a smirk, "the last crack actually closed up without a problem. Your siblings took off again to head back to the Silver City… I suppose to happily announce _their_ accomplishments to your _Dad_." Her voice rang with mild condescendence over both, his siblings and his Dad. "Amenadiel brought you here for me, so I could clear things up with Dan. Maze went back to my apartment and Zuriel…" She sighed heavily. "He went back to hell."

That last bit actually worried him. So Zuriel truly returned back to hell after things had been taken care of on earth. Thinking of his brother, general and loyal friend, Lucifer didn't like the thought of him being back in hell's chaos. A whole day on earth had passed by already, which meant that Zuriel was back in hell for about a month and knowing how big of a turmoil had been going on there, he deeply hoped that Zuriel was alright.

The silence coming from Lucifer was speaking volumes to Chloe. She had personally grown to like Zuriel as he seemed like a rather pleasant angel to hang out with, and it was strange to think that he actually deserved to be in hell, just because he had peacefully rebelled against his Father. In fact, she wondered how he could be going to hell, when he had helped them so selflessly to protect earth, defended her life and that of the rest of humanity. The whole judgement system the big guy up above invented just seemed all wrong.

"I will check on him and help get back some order to hell." Lucifer suddenly broke the silence, caressing along her back.

She bit her lip, pushing herself up to look at his face. "Maybe I could help you."

But he shook his head. "No, love… I couldn't do what I have to do, if I had to worry about your wellbeing. Besides, you should be here with your offspring on earth. That way I will certainly make sure to do everything in my powers to come back to you."

Her expression became sad. "How long?" she quietly asked with a shaking voice, fighting to stay composed.

He knew what she meant and could see the worry in her eyes as her whole aura felt as if it was losing some of its intensity. Sighing he tenderly brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Maybe a month…"

She exhaled a trembling breath and frowned, her eyes starting to glisten. "And how long would that be for you in hell?"

It was hard to hold her gaze. "About two years…" he reluctantly answered. It was a long time, he was aware. But there were things he needed to take care of and which called for his attention. He had to take responsibilities. He wanted to visit Gadreel, make sure Zuriel was still in one piece and he had to force hell's monsters back into the darkest corners of the abyss where they belonged. And then he probably had to find a way how to _keep_ hell in order without him being present, because he couldn't let anything like this ever happen again.

"I don't want you gone…" she whispered, caressing over his stubbly cheek.

He pulled her face towards his, resting her forehead against his own. "I know, Chloe… I'd rather stay with you, but… I have to go and you know, as well, that it's necessary."

Yes. He was right. She knew about his responsibilities. But that didn't mean she liked the circumstances one bit. "When?" was all she could ask, not sure if her voice could stay firm if she spoke any more words.

"Tomorrow. As soon as the deep wounds on my wings are healed up so I have more strength available." It would be better this way. There wasn't enough time to contemplate, and no time to have thoughts or worries crush them before his departure. It would be as little painful as it could possible be and yet, he knew it would feel devastating nonetheless.

She swallowed. "Tomorrow?" she repeated with a sob, her voice breaking and streams of tears trailing down her rosy cheeks. "So soon? That's not fair, Lucifer, you… you just came back and we have hardly had any time to-"

His lips covered hers, silencing her protest through a longing and wistful kiss. "I know. So _please_ , love, let us use the time that we have," he pleaded in a whisper. "I want to burn every inch of you into my memory… into my soul. Let me bathe in your light..." Looking at her full of heartbreaking desire he waited for her reaction, while lovingly brushing her tears away with caressing thumbs.

She sniffled and swallowed down the lump in her throat, staring back at him and trying to compose herself. "One month. You'll be back for Christmas." It wasn't an answer. She demanded a promise from him.

 _That's my brave Detective…_ Lucifer smiled inwardly, thinking about the deal he had made with her little rascal, and nodded. "I promise, I'll be back for Christmas, darling."

This time, her lips crushed back against his demandingly, claiming his mouth with lips, teeth and tongue. Once their lips were swollen again, she pulled away and motioned for him to sit up straight with her. "Show me your wings."

"What?" His brows frowned and he looked at her puzzled. "They're still covered in blood and in the process of healing-"

"I know," she interrupted him with a tender voice, nodding and delicately running a finger along the left outer line of his neck towards his shoulder. She could see how his eyes immediately glued to her with curiosity. "I thought I could groom you a little and perhaps kiss them to make it better."

The touch of her as well as the drop to a smooth, seductive tone, made him shiver, but it were her words that made him swallow and his heart jump. Not trusting his own voice to come out strong enough, he nodded, rollinged his shoulders, and with a soft grunt released his wings from the plane of light. They were, just as he had mentioned, still covered in blood and healing. Several feathers were torn and chipped and at some places small patches of feathers were still missing. He watched her reactions intently as her pupils dilated slightly, her tongue subconsciously moisturizing her lips. He could tell, she liked seeing them and wanted to touch them, although there was a slight shimmer in her eyes from anguish about their condition. "Just… be gentle. It'll be fine. Go ahead." he breathed, anticipating her touch.

Chloe took a deep breath and reached out to his left wing, lightly running her fingers over the fluffy feathers. Once she felt the amazing softness of them, she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. His eyes fluttered close and she watched satisfied, as he leaned into her neck, moaning and humming in delight. She smiled, starting to carefully groom him as she had done before during the night she had removed the bullets from his wings, making sure to arrange the feathers back into their natural order, without accidentally hurting him.

"Mmmm… this feels... amazing…" Lucifer muttered, smiling and purring and sometimes shuddering from an all too sensitive touch. He brushed his lips over the crook of her neck, as an idea hit him. Without telling her he just closed his eyes and focussed his thoughts. _Chloe… my angel… mmmm… can you hear me?_ he silently prayed to her as his fingers caressed over her slender back.

With a sharp breath, Chloe closed her eyes, hearing, but also feeling, his voice ever so softly ringing in her head. She could tell he didn't move his lips, he did definitely not speak out loud and yet, his voice seemed to be omnipresent. "Yes…" she quietly answered, overwhelmed from the sensation. _Wow… I really am an angel… and he… he can pray to me…_ She smiled and with a soft _whoosh_ released her white-golden wings once more from the plane of light. She could hear Lucifer's breath quickening against her skin. Focusing on her wings, a thought crossed her mind and suddenly she felt her wings tilting and curling forward and around them both, even wrapping gently around Lucifer's hurt ones. _Interesting how a thought made my wings react completely naturally_. Her smile widened and her wings pulled him in just a little further.

Lucifer let out a soft laugh, feeling her wings lightly press against his own. It was however a wonderful experience. "What are you doing?"

"You said you wanted to burn every inch of me into your memory and bathe in my light." She smiled and scraped a hand through his hair, while the other continued to caress over his feathers. "I wanna do the same."

Both their wings felt soothing, yet soon, their lust for each other took the better of them once again. As Chloe began to fall back into a light rhythm of grinding down on him, she slung her arms tightly around him, one palm pressing against his lower back while the other gripped his curls hungrily, pulling his face into her neck. Lucifer let her control the movement, although supporting her with his own arms slung around her petite frame. Brushing his lips over her hot skin, he bit, sucked and licked, tasting her with an insatiable need for more. Slowly he grazed his teeth along her jawline to her face where he licked over her bottom lip before plunging inside, exploring her mouth. Their moans vibrated thickly, half swallowed from kisses, but never fully, as they both indulged their desire in listening to the others lecherous sounds.

"Ugh… darling…" Lucifer groaned, his eyes falling shut as he rested his forehead against hers. There was a new vibe going through him, warm, tingling and exciting, and it felt as if his body was no longer just his own. As if it was more.

With whimpering cries of pleasure, Chloe had closed her eyes as well, letting herself fall into the pool of raging desire, feeling as her core began to tremble, her warm sanctuary wrapped around his length deep inside her. "Ngh… L-Lucifer…"

"You feel so good, Chloe… This… truly feels like heaven…" he panted, sharing heated breaths with her. Wanting to see her expression when they would both fell over the edge once more, he opened his eyes again, his expression a mixture of pleasant pain from the pressure building inside him and of awe at the sight of her perfection. "Chloe… you're… you're glowing," he uttered with a groan, his voice pitching in surprise and he tilted his head back to get a better look at her.

Her mind was almost too wrapped up in cotton with her body riding on waves of concupiscence to be able to notice and progress his last words in between their lewd moans and panting. Looking down at herself, blinking, she realized he was right. She was literally glowing, her body and wings emitting a soft warm, yellowish light. Instead of feeling irritated though, she merely looked back at him, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the sight of him. "You, too." she whispered, watching as the light of them both engulfed them like a blanket.

It was so warm and gentle, it felt strong and soft, loving and encouraging, deep and yet subtle. It was overwhelming, but not blinding, electrifying, but not harmful. He gasped, feeling a connection towards her that had never ran so deep before. "Chloe…" he breathed, his lips brushing along hers. "I can feel our souls touching." He could feel the connection intensifying with every second that passed, gently making them both feel like they were becoming one.

She smiled and with a trembling breath, gently continued to slide up and down on him. "Yes… I can feel it, too." Capturing his lips with her own, she shared everything of herself with him. Goosebumps covered her body as she felt his fingers dig into her skin, much like her own did on his. Within moments their pace increased, their sounds an orchestra of eternal love.

They both cried out each others name, falling over the edge together in an explosion of divine light, reminding Lucifer of the creation of his stars. Purity and perfection. He kissed along her jaw, up her cheek and to her temple, finally resting his lips against her ear. "I love you."

Chloe leaned into him, feeling the need to simply exist without movement, taking in whatever she could in this moment of love while their bodies' glowing slowly began to fade and their pulses slowed down. "I love you, too, Lucifer."

They sat like this for the next hour, wrapped up in each others embrace of arms, legs and wings, inhaling scents, caressing feathers and smooth, bare skin, before climbing back into his bed, where they returned to waves of sensual lovemaking, imprinting themselves into the other's body, mind and soul, until eventually they submitted to exhaustion and fell asleep in each others arms.

* * *

 **A/N: What can I say? Perhaps I got a bit carried away... But oh well. We need it, the heat and passion between them, don't we?! What are your thoughts, reactions? How many breaks did you need to make to take a cold shower? Did you have a Luci-d-dream? :D**

 **I cannot believe how close this story is to its end! I am wrapping up last strings my fellow readers. Lots of touchy feely stuff. So yeah, get the tissues. (bloody hell, "clean" ones! Tzzz... naughty readers... :P)**

 **Love you all to bits. And... as I promised. Once I am done (or close to being done, cause I am currently working on the Epilogue), I will release two chapters per week so that this story is complete before 8th May. SO:**

 **Next chapter: This Thursday! Yaay! Whoop whoop!**


	31. Of These Chains

**A/N: Welcome back my dear readers! Enjoy today's chapter!**

 **Chapter Title/Song: Of These Chains – Red**

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Chapter 31

Of These Chains

He knew he needed to leave soon, because otherwise he wouldn't be able to get himself to do it at all. He watched her for a few more moments, took in the way the first rays of the morning sun shimmered along the curves of her body, how they lightened her hair and bathed her feathers in a warm yellowish orange. Her lips were slightly parted, a small smile resting upon them. It had been there since he had woken up in her arms - or had it been the other way around? Probably both, he thought with a smile. They had lain entwined like an endless mobius ribbon. Anyhow, waking up next to her like _this_ , had been indescribably beautiful and it had added to his list of things he would be missing dearly. Unnoticed from her, he had untangled their limbs from each other, went to the bathroom to shower, put on one of his best suits, and had a last glass of whiskey filled up to the brim. Because there would be no liquor in the near future for him. At least not the real stuff.

Careful to not accidentally brush her wing that dipped over the side of the bed's edge, he leaned to his nightstand and placed the small card down. His heart was pounding madly and it became hard to breathe. He swallowed, hesitating. He _had_ to go. _Now_. With his own wings already out, intentionally tucked tightly behind his back, he stood in his bedroom next to his one true love. His detective, his angel. "I love you, Chloe… forever and ever..." he whispered, his voice strained from melancholy, closed his eyes and pushed himself off into the void.

* * *

She inhaled the air and released it again with a soft sigh, snuggling deeper into the pillow. She kept her eyes closed, curiously taking in all kinds of sensations. The cool bed sheets were crumpled, covering her losely from her thighs downwards, the pillow she was lying on felt warmed from her cheeks and had a mixed smell of Lucifer's clean wardrobe and his musky, heavy cologne that, whenever she smelled it, sent tingling shivers into her core, and she could feel a certain coldness surrounding her wings, which she couldn't clearly point a finger on. Aside from these things however, her overall physical condition was absolute satisfaction. She felt pleasantly sore in every single muscle and she immediately hoped for that feeling to stay a little longer and not be corrected from her newly acquired celestial metabolism, that was not only controlling her unstoppable sexdrive but also her physical healing process. Eventually she did open her eyes and was confronted with an empty left bedside.

She froze, her eyes roaming over the pillow and the crumpled satin sheets next to her. Swallowing she reached out, brushing her fingers over the fabric. It was cold and she knew, without any other indicators, that he was gone.

Feeling her wings suddenly tremble from a wave of emotions, she focused and drew them away. She sat up, spotting a white card, folded once to stand on its edges with her name written in delicate calligraphy of black ink to its front. With a thundering in her chest, she took it from the nightstand and opened it, a small white feather falling into her lap. The inside of the card had three lines written neatly in its middle.

 _Start counting down,_

 _to the day I return_

 _and we'll begin to only count up._

She pensively licked her lip, running her index finger over the curved lines that seemed to be drawn with so much grace and devotion, making the words sink in that much deeper as she read them again and again.

One month for her.

Two years for him.

 _Two. Freaking. Years._

She swallowed thickly and took a deep shaky breath. She could do it. If he was confident, then she had to be as well, because what was a month compared to two years? Yes. Yes, she would be strong. For him. For them both. She would count down to the day of his return. Pressing the card close to her chest, she wondered how much time had passed by for him already. Perhaps a few days? Closing her eyes, she reached out to him, trying to focus her thoughts. He had told her that he heard her prayer when he had been in hell before, just that it arrived slightly distorted. So she _had_ to try.

 _Lucifer..._ She began, but then sighed, starting again. _Samael… I'll be strong… and I will wait for you… I love you..._

Why did it matter what name she addressed her prayers to, if she was thinking about him specifically anyways? Why did something as unnecessary as a name filter a prayer, she wondered angrily about the one above, who clearly had somehow implemented this nonsense rule. Lucifer could change his name on a daily basis and she wouldn't care, as she knew the person whom she directed her thoughts to. She pushed the irritation aside. It didn't really matter. She would pray the way it was necessary for him to hear her, because this would not be her last prayer to him, but instead it would become a routine.

The days passed by and she would pray, every day, every couple of hours, making sure to try and uplift his spirits, to give him support to stay strong, so that he would do everything to come back to her safely. She prayed to him almost as if she was talking to him right in front of her, but kept thinking that he could respond to her, or at least try to. Why hadn't he? Or had he tried and somehow it just didn't work the other way around? Did he even receive her prayers or was he- No. No, he wasn't. He couldn't be. She forced herself to continue with her daily schedules, spending lots of time with her daughter, busying herself with paperwork and seeking some ease through the social contact with Maze, Linda and Ella, and Dan. But her thoughts always returned to him, never letting her hope for his safe return slip and always fighting her own inner worries, to help keep up his hope just as well as her own.

* * *

It was worse than what he had expected. There were riots going on in almost every section of hell. Hundreds upon hundreds if not several thousands of souls had been released from their tombs, having been torn out of their hell-loops. And there was nothing human about an inhabitant anymore, once the soul was forcefully freed from its guilt driven hell-loop. As they had escaped their punishment chambers, they started to change. Their once human souls, although primarily just tainted, would now transform their shapes into horrid creatures with their souls fading away, only leaving behind demonic beasts, who's only instinct were to feed and kill.

His first goal arriving in hell was trying to find Zuriel and then approach the other generals. He needed them in order to have enough force to apply onto the massive vastness of hell. Without them, ruling over the underworld wouldn't be possible and the system his Father had implemented simply couldn't work with chaos going on all over the place. Lucifer was convinced that Dear Old Dad had known and planned for Lucifer needing to organize structures, when He created hell, so that it would actually _work_ the way it was supposed to. _That fucking Bastard..._

After three days in hell, with no generals found so far, he had heard Chloe's voice in the back of his mind for the first time since his arrival. He sighed, knowing that she probably had just woken up in his bed. He missed her, remembering very vividly the moans he caused to erupt from her, the way her lips parted and her eyes fell shut when he pushed her from one climax to the next, filling her with his love, metaphorically and also quite literally. He had thought about responding to her in prayer, but was hesitant.

While her prayers were certainly encouraging, spurring him on to keep up the fight and reminding him of what was awaiting him on earth, praying to her, he believed, would have a different effect. One he didn't dare risking to happen. He knew she was strong, the strongest woman he had ever met, but he knew how much more her heart would ache for him, if she would hear his voice. Her longing for him and the devastation about his absence would increase to an unbearable state and he didn't want for her to feel worse than she probably already did. And not only that, but he feared for her to make a stubborn move and travel down to hell. He knew that if she'd hear anything about him being in a bad condition, she would do it without hesitation. Of course he was also aware, that him _not_ answering her, could also cause her to think that something might have happened to him, that he was suffering or worse, dead. But Lucifer trusted her to keep hoping for the best, to hope for them both, to have her believe in his return, no matter if he replied or not. So eventually he decided to not respond to her prayers, but in return soak up every word she whispered into his mind, savouring the way she spoke and the longing she caused in his heart, to be reunited with her. Her words not only made him crave to be back with her, but they gave him strength to fight, to stay alert and to trust his instincts.

After two weeks, he eventually found Zuriel leading his own legion of loyal demons against a deserteur general named Astaroth. A devious, twisted and quite powerful demon, riding into battle on the back of a massive winged beast. With Lucifer's help the tides changed to their favor and with joined forces, they defeated the adverse soldiers. Astaroth himself though, was not bending his knee and pledging loyalty, so Lucifer made sure to set an example, by ripping out his tongue and blinding him before impaling him at the entrance of his fortress. _That_ would send a message to the other generals.

As Lucifer had expected, obviously, not every general had been awaiting his return as Zuriel did, especially after having been gone for hundreds of years in hell time as he had left hell for good and settled down in LA. Most of them had moved on, implemented their own set of rules and structures. Some had become corrupt to the point where losts souls could bribe them to get certain benefits. Other generals had completely turned against him, gathering their legions and freeing tormented souls, intentionally turning them into submissive demons to add to their forces. They waged wars against each other, assassinating and slaughtering whoever they could to increase their power counted in souls they incorporated into their ranks and land they reigned over.

It took Lucifer months to gather a handful of generals, that would truly be loyal to him, not only because of fearing his wrath, but also because of them submitting to his power and wits. His mental and physical strength. His leadership capabilities. But even though he was said to be their leader, Lucifer never wanted to have this position. He didn't feel like one, nor did it make him happy. And he _wanted_ his happiness back. He wanted to feel his loves' fingers scrape over his scalp and arms, her legs tangling up with his as they both were bathing in the briskness of their desire for each other. But the path that needed to be walked to his possible return was a very long and rocky one.

So he kept on fighting. Week after week. Month after month. With her prayers, he stayed strong. He fought back his opponents and if they would not obey, he would show no mercy in return. He had to be the Lord of Hell. But no matter how determined he was, the number of loyal generals available to him was limited and the monstrosities that had broken free from the depths of hell, now roaming through all sections of it, were a constant threat. Continuing to fight them turned out to drain Lucifer and his army's strength to a threatening low level. He did his best to not show his inner turmoil and doubts towards the rest of his troops, but Zuriel did notice, realizing that slowly but surely, they would be unable to hold the upper hand.

* * *

She managed to get along. Prayer by prayer. Day by day. For three weeks. And then nobody could soothe her worries any longer. Nobody and nothing could distract her from her worries about Lucifer, who still had not replied once, and she had become a nervous panicking wreck.

"I can't do this anymore... This is freaking killing me," she hissed angrily in between heavy panting, walking up and down on the penthouse's balcony. She had come here every day since he left, using it to feel closer to him and in the beginning it had helped. She had grown used to rest in his bed and remember their last night together, to run her fingers over his card. But now things were different. She felt strained to exhaustion with worry.

He had wanted for her to stay on earth, but how could she be of any help here when all she was left to do was praying to him? No, this just was not enough anymore. He was in hell all alone, maybe, she was aware, maybe Lucifer had found Zuriel in good shape and they could combine their strength, but would that be enough? What about all the other angels that had gone back to the Silver City? His siblings? Where the fuck were they in all of this? They helped with the cracks and now what? They just left Lucifer to deal with hell's monstrosities all by himself!? She cursed towards the sky, not even directing her words to a particular angel, but the whole lot of them.

"You Goddamn assholes! How can you do this to him!? All you care about is doing whatever your Dad tells you to do. Just look at yourselves! You doing nothing and knowing how Lucifer is fighting for humans to be safe. Even after their death! He's taking responsibility. He risked _everything_ when he fought against Gadreel. He would have killed him, for humanity, for earth, and also for all of you to be safe. He would have taken the guilt and pain. He stood up for his mistakes and showed more balls than you cowards ever did! You were only interested in reporting to your Dad when he collapsed after saving the whole planet so selflessly. So, screw you! All of you!"

Little did Chloe know, how much turmoil was going on in the Silver City. Her prayers only added more fuel to it.

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks and she felt her wings tremble within the plane of light. Would they respond? Did they even hear her? Maybe they were avoiding her, just like they seemed to avoid Lucifer. Maybe they thought having helped him on earth had been enough. It had all been about saving humans after all. But now that it was about Lucifer's own wellbeing… of course they seemed to not give a damn about the fallen brother, the Devil himself. Apparently, despite everything Lucifer had sacrificed and endured, they still looked down on him.

She felt emotionally stripped and because there was nothing left for her to do and think of, she went back to muffle her sobs into his pillows for another hour before returning home to her daughter.

Christmas was just one week away and everything was already prepared. The rooms were all neatly decorated and the tree was set up as well. All she had left to do was to endure the wait and it was excruciating.

* * *

The battle was waging since one and half years already, and still there seemed to be no end in sight for the Devil and his legions fighting hell's creatures. A Titan and other beasts stomped through the battlefield which once had been a section of the crypt system. Now they stood in piles of debris that consisted of obsidian, black diamond and lots and lots of brimstone. Thousands of souls had been released from their hell loops within a hundred mile radius.

"LUCIFEEER!" Zuriel shouted over to his brother, viciously flailing around with his sword, but the attacks didn't loosen the grip that the massive hand had on his body.

Effortlessly the Titan swung Zuriel through the air and threw him with a deep thundering growl against a rock formation standing out in the debris, making the stones burst under the impact of the angel.

Instructing his soldiers, Lucifer took flight and aimed his hellfire powers at the Titan. Compared with the beast, Lucifer appeared merely like an annoying bee, that kept on stinging a colossus. "Zuriel? Are you alright!?" he called out worriedly, grunting and panting as he kept unleashing the flames. For moments he didn't get any form of a reply. When he glanced to the crashsite again, he saw several of his demon followers dig out Zuriel from beneath the stones.

Coughing and rasping for air, Zuriel caught his breath, his expression weary. "Hardly!" he growled, his ice-blue eyes glaring towards the Titan.

They were all exhausted and the thought of dozens of more regions in hell that were ruled from deserted generals and legions of Lucifer with several other gruesome monsters such as Titans roaming freely, was grueling. But he was out of ideas, out of options on what else he could do. Evading the swinging arms of the Titan, he desperately watched as two more Titans approached in a stomping rage. "Great…. Just fucking great…" he muttered gritting his teeth.

"Lucifer!" Zuriel's voice rang warningly at him from down below.

"Yes! I can see them!" he called back, flying up higher into the grey-red sky. He focussed on his hell powers, feeling the connection towards the landscape. With eyes ablaze he aimed his palms at the two newly approaching Titans. Thunder rolled through the dark, depressive sky above him, before a blinding red flash struck down into his palms like a hellish lightningstrike. With a roar, he used a thrust of his palms to redirected the energy at the Titans.

The beasts wavered and shook by the impact of the high, hellish voltage, but when the lightning subsided, they kept on with their approach, swiping through his armies in a wild frenzy. "Well... bollocks." Lucifer grumbled at the failed attempt to stop them or at least have some sort of slow-down effect on them. He lowered back to the ground, watching from some distance the havoc the Titans were causing. _This is bad… really bad..._ What else could he do? The screams of his army's soldiers hollered through the landscape, accompanied from the grunts and growls of the Titans. _This is just too much… Back in the days, they have been forced into their cages in hell by the hands of a bloody army of angels, not just a single one!_

A sudden white thunder pulled him out of his thoughts, and a strange rustling sound repeated again and again behind him. Fearing for yet another monstrosity having broken free, he turned around, his wings tensing again in anticipation of an attack. But as he turned around, his expression faltered to utter surprise and shock. "Oh for fucks sake, you can't be serious. Dad really wanted this to happen in this very moment, didn't He? Omniscient, egomaniacal prick," he grumbled more to himself in a low, annoyed tone.

A whopping fifteen of his feathered brothers and sisters stood in front of him, all dressed up in shiny armors and equipped with weapons from heaven's arsenal. Despite their straight, tall and proud posture, he noticed that their eyes spoke a different language. _Something_ was off.

"What the bloody hell do _you_ dimwits want?!" Lucifer hissed, glaring at the arrivals angrily.

One of the group of angels stepped forward, rolling his bottom lips in between his teeth before speaking up. "Help you."

The Devil frowned and let out a scoffing laugh. "Great. So Father sent you here to help the incapable Devil to get order back to hell, since he can't do the job by himself anymo-"

"No!" an excited female voice rang out of the group, and continued more softly, "That's not true." A small, dark haired angel stepping forward.

Lucifer almost didn't recognise her. Usually she was wearing some funky clothes, a robe at least, but now she was in battle armor just like the other siblings surrounding them. "Azrael?" he asked in disbelief. "What is this about? Why are you here if Father hasn't sent you."

"To help, just like he said," she answered with a soft frown. "Lu, we really weren't sent by Dad. In fact… He might even be a little angry with us for leaving the Silver City." When Lucifer was about to counter, she raised a hand to make him halt. "We don't have the time to talk now. Amenadiel told me to let you know he's sorry he cannot join this fight. He's busy talking with the rest of our siblings. Now…" she glanced over his shoulder. "Looks like a bunch of Titans need to be put back in their cages." A little smirk crawled up her lips as she shifted her weight a little. "What do you say, brother? Are you ready?"

He blinked, still confused about what the sudden appearance of his siblings was all about, especially without the approval of their Father, if she told the truth. And what was Amenadiel doing talking with his other siblings? He slowly stretched his shoulders and wings, sighing. Then he shook his head with an almost defeated expression on his face. "I don't think a handful more angels will make a difference in this battle, Azrael."

The angel of death lowered her head, with a flicker of joy in her eyes and a small, amused smile on her lips, she retorted, "Oh just wait a moment, Lu. You've always been really impatient."

Narrowing his eyes at her, he swallowed down the grumble that had rolled up his throat at her words. _Damn you, little sister... Always knocking down my ego with those stupid remarks…_ He pushed her comment aside and was about to turn back to the upcoming battle ahead, when suddenly further rustling sounds hummed around him and, rather quickly, became a constant rhythm. Ten more siblings appeared out of thin air. Twenty. Fifty. And still, there were more angels starting to gather around him.

Lucifer swallowed hard, his eyes wide in shock, and his lips muttered a stunned, "What the…" He hadn't expected this. At all! And he didn't really understand it either. After a minute he roughly counted a hundred of his feathered siblings circling him, all heavily armored, weapons at the ready, their facial expressions were filled with the eagerness to fight. "I… I don't understand… How is it all of you-" But he didn't get to finish his sentence as the three Titans stormed up towards the group of angels. Quickly Lucifer dashed aside, the other angels avoiding a hit as well and immediately starting their counter with an onslaught of attacks.

With a wave of thundering battlecries, Lucifer's siblings dashed at the monstrosities, fighting on the ground and from above, being supported by Zuriel and the Devil's loyal soldiers. The situation felt beyond bizarre and Lucifer needed a few moments to push aside his wonders about the reasons of his brothers and sisters coming to hell. _Had they truly? Or did Father order them to come here?_

Having thought just a blink of a second about his Father, Lucifer's mind drifted off towards Chloe. Not so much longer and the one month earth time of waiting would be over which meant that he had merely a few weeks left to get hell back to order. It had seemed to be an impossible task just moments ago, but now… He watched as his siblings drove the Titans back with joined forces. The gigantic beasts overwhelmed by the masses of attacks from celestial weapons and powers. Yes, they could do this. Of course there was much more work that needed to be done, many more demons to be put into place, but if his siblings were truly here to help him with this task, then, yes, he could return in time and be reunited with his love.

The weeks went by and the battles were tiring, but not impossible to win. His siblings had stayed true to their word. They remained in hell throughout all this time, helping the Devil regain order and control. They helped to fight back the creatures of the abyss, lock them up once again and also to collect the lost souls that had been freed from their hell loop tombs and turned into distorted demons. They were put back into their appropriate tombs, although being locked up from the outside, as they all were not able to ever return to their human souls and could never find redemption anymore. WIth thousands of souls affected by this circumstance, this was quite a bitter pill to swallow.

Nevertheless the day arrived when Lucifer and his companions were truly done and hell was back in order. A few more hours passed by as he assigned his generals back to their daily work schedule and eventually came the moment of his siblings gathering around him once again. They were all covered in blood from the creatures they had slain and fought back into the depths of hells most secluded corners. Despite their exhaustion, their ruffled wings, scratched armors and wounded limbs, they looked triumphant and apparently very satisfied with their work.

Looking at them one by one, he thought to himself that it was obvious to anyone seeing these celestial creatures now, that angel's were not just kind, fluffy winged beings, serving to do good in the world. No. They were soldiers made for battle and were as good at taking care of humanity as much as destroying whatever deserved it. Seeing Azrael step towards him, he took a deep relaxing breath and exhaled. "Thank you sister. All of you. Although I still don't understand…"

The angel of death responded with a gentle, thin smile, taking in the confused look on Lucifer's face. "We had some turbulent discussions in the Silver City." Her brows narrowed as she nervously looked back at her heavenly siblings. "Your brothers and sisters took note of what you did, Lu," she spoke gently.

"What... I... did?" He frowned, shaking his head.

Her eyes turned sad as she looked at him. "For humanity. For Chloe… What you endured…" she hesitated, biting on her lower lip as the words seemed too hard to be spoken out loud. "And what you had done to Gadreel," she clarified with a quiet, pained tone.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, swallowing. Of course they had come to hear about how Lucifer had punished him. But it was still very uncomfortable for him to have her speak about everything he did with this layer of deep gratitude, weighted down from sadness. "I don't need your pity, Azrael," he muttered, glancing aside to avoid her sorrowful look.

A strange sound escaped her and she stepped closer to him, her thick grey wings lowering down relaxed. "That's not pity, Lu. We don't pity you." Shaking her head she took in his sight. "We're in _awe_." she corrected him, her tone becoming stronger and her eyes sparkling.

He frowned, turning back to her. "Awe? What? Why would you be in awe?"

She let out a soft laugh, because, of course her brother didn't understand. She couldn't blame him though. "We're in awe because of what you managed to do Lucifer. Everything you did…" She shook her head. "Nobody of us could have done that. I mean… even if we had made the decision to follow our own gut feeling and not listen to Dad a bit earlier, we still wouldn't have been able to do what you-"

He blinked and raised a hand to pause her. "Wait a second, hold on. Did… did you just say you… you _defied Dad_?" His jaw dropped as he stared at her incredulously and in shock. He felt his chest tighten. No. No, this couldn't be. This… this simply couldn't _be_. Ever since the rebellion his siblings had _always_ obeyed to their Father. And if they had somehow failed Him and had lost their path, they fell like Amenadiel had experienced it. But… to openly defy Him? The only angels that had ever defied Him had been the ones on Lucifer's rebellious side and they had all paid a big price.

"How shall I say…" Azrael began and grimaced. "We might have had a collective celestial epiphany, of some sorts."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a small voice, trying to stay composed so it wouldn't shake.

Another of his siblings stepped forward, Raguel, he remembered. "What our sister is trying to avoid speaking out loud is, that we were in awe to realize how selfless you defended the humans. How you were fighting for justice. How much you suffered and _still_ kept on fighting without backing down."

Lucifer's jaw flexed in tension as he shifted his weight again. It was odd to hear them speak of him in good ways.

Raguel continued before Lucifer could complain or play down his words. "We don't pity you for what you went through. If anything… we… we feel ashamed of ourselves for not having stepped in any sooner. For not… getting you out of hell when Gadreel had captured you." His voice had turned low, his eyes lowered in guilt. "We watched from above. The first of us, like Haaiah, came to earth to help you. They were the bravest of us to not ask for Father's permission to come and help you with the Styx's breaches. But _we_ …" he looked around, indicating at the group of angels, "we were stupid and hardheaded… and… condescending towards you. We did not believe that you could show so much devotion, so much selflessness."

The Devil stayed quiet, but tried to control his uprising burst of emotions by breathing deeply through his nose.

"We asked about free will," Azrael suddenly blurted out, her expression troubled. "We wanted to know why He didn't tell us to go help you. We _wanted_ to help, Lu. When He didn't react we just… we became impatient. As some of us had already simply left to help you… after some debating, we decided to leave as well." She sighed, seeming desperate about something she couldn't quite wrap her head around.

The tightening in his chest made it harder to breath and he could feel the volcano of emotions boiling up inside of him, threatened to explode. "You… you left heaven… to help me? Without Father's approval? Because… you… _wanted_ to?" But this simply was impossible. He had thought that Haaiah and the other angels that had helped at the breaches, had been there because of Father's orders. Had he perhaps just imagined it _had_ to be like this, because, why all of a sudden should his siblings do something for him by their own wish? He remembered the looks on their faces and the voices of his brothers and sisters when they were fighting together at the breaches. They had seemed to be glad to be able to help, but also eager to return. Perhaps not only to report back to their Father, but maybe they also thought it was for the better? Perhaps they had been afraid to stay longer and face a harsher judgement from their oh so righteous Dad?

He swallowed, blinking several times as he felt his eyes starting to burn from the salty tears threatening to escape him. He noticed how his siblings looked at each other, sharing a moment of insecurity and obvious embarrassment before they all nodded at him. That was the last straw and he began to tremble, feeling the droplets run down his cheeks. He wasn't ashamed about his emotional display, it was simply too much to handle. Too much to understand and to bare after millennia of hate and resentment between them and him. "You all took the risk of Father _punishing_ you… for _me_?"

"Yes!" it suddenly rang from several of his brethren simultaneously.

"You're our brother. It was wrong of us to shun you like we did," Raguel said quietly and sighed, his head hanging low.

The black armored gauntlets of Zuriel grabbed onto Lucifer's shoulder as he stepped to the Devil's side. "It's quite a late realisation you've had there! After millennia of pain for Lucifer!" he grunted at his pious siblings, throwing them an accusing look. "How can you think it's all going to change now, just because you fought at our side for a few weeks?"

Lucifer couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips upon hearing Zuriel's words, but as much as Zuriel was right about the lot of them having taken quite a long time to stop being absolute wankers towards Lucifer, he was aware of one detail Zuriel seemed to overlook. It was easy to miss, when one had grasped it since eons already. "Zuriel… They…" he spoke in a soft tone, but then sighed, shaking his head as he realized something. Then he let out a light, short laugh. "They just had their first take on _free will_. I think they deserve a little bit of credit for that… and perhaps… a few days of grace period, before we can call them names for what bloody feathered pricks they have been for all those years," he teasingly muttered with a slight sheepish smile, but nodding at his siblings in an accepting manner. He heard Zuriel let out a huffing snort, knowing Zuriel held a little tighter onto his anger, or maybe not more than Lucifer himself, but Zuriel certainly didn't let his own anger boil for eons before letting it explode. He simply let it out.

But Lucifer was tired of fighting. Tired of hating and holding grudges. In fact, all he wanted was peace. And he wanted it since quite a long time already, he thought to himself, as he licked over his dehydrated lips, grinning. "So. Now that you did what _you_ wanted and not the Big Guy upstairs, what are you up to next? Planning any other shenanigans?"

Azrael hid a little smirk and shook her head. "Well… for starters… we were thinking of something else," her voice rose a little, sounding stronger. "We'll take care of hell."

He choked off a sudden laugh and had to cough heavily. "I beg your pardon?" He looked at them, dumbfounded.

"We figured that Father never said anything about you having to do this _all on your own_ , has He?" Raguel went on, offering a soft shrug. "Sooo… we thought about sharing the task. I mean… of course you'd still be the Devil, but… I guess your presence here from now on is... let's say… more _expendable_."

He didn't know what to say. That was beyond anything he had ever hoped for, and he had given up those kinds of thoughts and wishes a very long time ago. New tears ran down his cheeks, this time he felt rather embarrassed and quickly brushed them away. "You… you… wicked looneys have used a bloody _loophole_?"

Raguel let out a laugh, brushing over the back of his head with a nervous look. "We were wondering what _you_ would have done, so yes, I guess we have."

"Well I…" Lucifer started but broke off with a sharp exhale. "I really don't know what to say. This is… unexpected, to say the least. Thank you. All of you. Again."

"There's no need for that, Lu." Azrael smiled tenderly and rushed towards him to pull him into a tight hug. With a slight grunt, she heard Lucifer accept her embrace for about five seconds before pulling away again, but she didn't mind. "Alright so, I think we got everything cleared, except for the throne room. We figured, that's kinda your private place, so..." she trailed off with a light raise of her shoulders.

"Yes… yes… I… I will give a last visit before I head back to earth." He nodded and hesitated a brief moment. "It… it _is_ okay to… _leave_ , right?"

"Of course, brother. We gonna spread out and take care of keeping everything in order. I guess your soldiers also help with that." She pointed over Lucifer's shoulder, at the rows of growling demons and generals who stayed loyal to the Lord of Hell.

"Yes of course. This is after all what they are assigned to do now anyways." He took in a deep cleansing breath. "Right then…" Turning around, he looked at Zuriel. "You know… you could come and visit earth again sometime."

Zuriel kicked a bit of ash and gravel aside. "I'm not sure, brother…"

He could see the trouble and insecurity in Zuriel's eyes and posture. "You left hell, Zuriel. Do you realize, you have been free to come to earth all along?" Upon having Zuriel's ice blue eyes dart up and gazing back at him, he continued. "Brother, your punishment might have been that you were cast out of heaven and put into hell like me, but you were never forced to _stay_ here. In fact… we both might have probably never had to stay in the first place. We just… thought this was what we deserved." He moisturized his lips again and gave him a soft smirk. "So… if you ever want to leave this… hell-hole and have a change of scenery, just take flight and stop by my penthouse in LA. What do you say?"

Blinking, Zuriel straightened himself, his armor rustling. "That… that would be… nice."

"Plus, I believe you never had a real Bourbon, only this false, disgusting swill from hell, which is unacceptable. So, next time you're top-side, I'll have you browse through my collection." Content with Zuriel's laugh and nod, Lucifer made a couple of steps away from his siblings. Time was still ticking and to be all at ease in his mind when he'd return, he knew he had one last place to check. His throne room. With a last 'thanks and goodbye' to his siblings, he took off, landing only a moment later at the entrance to his fortress.

It felt strange to return to the place of his punishment, as it was not only the place of his heavenly punishment but also that of the torture Gadreel had put him in. Now it had a strange, eerie silence to it. Stepping at the heavy doors, he saw both sides were still burst open into the hall, with splintered edges and bent metal platings showing marks of a fight that, too, had taken place in the time of his captivity, or rather, during Chloe's rescue mission and his breakout. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he stepped inside. The chandeliers to the sides were all smashed, leaving the big hall of his throne room dim, with only sparse light coming through some of the high built windows.

He stared curiously into the darkness, able to scan through it without any trouble due to his celestial eye sight. He stepped further inside, glancing from the left side of the room to the right and taking a deeply satisfying note of the burnt corpses scattered across the room. The punishers. He spotted the place where he had been hung up by them, a darkened, long dried pool of blood and torn feathers on the ground. A deep growl rumbled from the back of the hall, somewhere behind his throne and his senses sharpened instantly. Yes. There was a heartbeat. Another vicious low growl came from the back, this time louder, certainly sounding as if the monster was reacting to Lucifer's slow approach.

 _Bloody hell… it's only this one damn beast left to kill and then I can finally return to Chloe… I bet she's already walking up and down in her apartment with the little urchin waiting on the couch..._

He was impatient. "Come on out! I don't have time for this hide and seek game. Let's get this done with, shall we?" he called out with a grumpy tone, spreading his wings and tensing his muscles, ready to fight.

Something shifted in the dark. He could see there was a bulky shape, trotting slowly forward, revealing a pair of orange, sharp edged eyes that stared back at Lucifer observantly. There was a flicker in the beast's eyes. Recognition. The same flicker immediately showed in Lucifer's own dark orbs. " _You_? How is that possible?" he breathed in surprise, his chest tightening as a soft smile spread on his lips.

Yes. Now he was ready to return. This was perfect. Simply perfect. Closing his eyes, the smile widening, he focused his thoughts on Chloe.

 _Chloe, love, I'm coming home._

* * *

 **A/N: Aaaahhh I have to admit I really enjoyed writing this chapter. The heartache from both, the realizations for Lucifer, the show up of his siblings and... oh well. You will get more treats next chapter, another MASSIVE one!**  
 **It's only TWO Chapters left, sweethearts! :D PLEASE, let me know what you think :) I am super curious!**

 **The lines of Lucifer's card are of a wonderful haiku poem from Tyler Knott Gregson. Go check him out, if you're a helpless romantic like me ;)**

 **Next chapter: Tuesday!**


	32. Worthwhile

**A/N: Welcome back, dear Lucifans! Finally. It is time... for a very special day and a very special chapter and great news! Lemme give you the awesome news in numbered order, cause that looks so professional and is super easy to read ;)**

 **1: I finally finished my Master Thesis and am now officially done with my studies.** ** **Woop!**** ** ** **Woop!**** Thanks everyone for wishing me luck and all the patience you had with me when I had to slow down the posting, in order to keep up with producing new chapters while also focusing on my Thesis!**

 **2: Today's chapter is special in several ways: Content-time-wise, length-wise (13k! Because... bigger is always better, AMIRIGHT?!), the feeeels, and, this is the second last chapter. So after this one, you will get to read the final chapter, a wonderful Epilogue.**

 **3: Said Epilogue chapter is already prepared (!) and is about to be beta-ed. I plan to release it on SATURDAY 4th MAY!**

 **4: I do have several more writing projects in mind for the near future. Most are already roughly setup with notes, so stay tuned, because after this story I'll be writing on something else ;) (I'm NOT gonna spoiler you though. I think, first of all, we all gonna binge watch S4 for a while, but make sure to give me a follow, so you will see when I post something!)**

 **Alrighty then, ladies and gents, buckle up, grab your tissues, have a glass of wine or whiskey, whichever you prefer (just don't do both), and enjoy today's chapter! Oh and in case you listen to the chapter song, which obviously you SHOULD, make sure to put it on repeat :)**

 **Chapter Title/Song: Worthwhile – Nathan Wagner**

* * *

Chapter 32

Worthwhile

His return had worked smoothly, even though he had some extra luggage and his wings were still quite battled, so to speak. He wanted to look perfect, not all sweaty and smeared with ash, dirt and blood, so, a short stop at at the beach as well as his penthouse was inevitable. Not just to have his wings cleaned and to change into his best suit, but also because he needed to give some instructions to a certain drooling someone.

Although the night was pitch black, the city itself was not at all. He involuntarily was reminded of his tormenting illusions his punisher brother had put him into. _Yes, earth is shining as bright as a star today_ , he thought with a small smile and glimpsed up at the sky, making out his Morningstar above. Because of the surrounding being illuminated from all kinds of decoration lights and landing with shiny wings on display could have caused humans to go a tiny bit mental, especially on Christmas, he decided to take his corvette for a ride instead. And _by Dad_ it felt good to be back in its leather seats, feeling the wind rush through his hair. Glancing warily to the side he sent a warning look to his passenger seat. "Don't you _dare_ scratch the leather!"

He had one last detour to make. It was out of question for him to simply delay it to the next day. He wouldn't allow one more day to pass by, so he called Mercer Frey, his contact who had helped identifying the seller of the hellstones. He was coming in very handy, especially now that it was Christmas and all shops were closed. Lucifer was well aware, Mercer had nowhere else to be, with no family and certainly no real friends to hang out with on this special day. Perfect to have him do a little favor for the Devil. In return, Lucifer was happy to offer Mercer a favor, to call for at a later date, if he would deem it to fit to his standards. And of course Mercer happily agreed to the arrangement, because who wouldn't want to have an open favor to ask of Lucifer Morningstar?

The tour from his penthouse to Mercer had taken him twenty minutes. Not really a long time, thinking about the endless days of warfare in hell, but now? Now every minute, no every second not spent with _her_ , felt like an absolute waste of time.

 _Finally,_ he arrived. And he began to freak out. After two quite bloody years in hell he'd finally see her again. Was she still fine? The last prayer he had heard from her had been days ago, although perhaps on earth it had just been a few hours, he realized. Was she truly still waiting for him, though? _Of course… she promised._ He swallowed, fumbling with his collar and straightening his dress shirt sleeves and cufflinks. _Why on earth am I so damn nervous?!_ Sighing he brushed his fingers through his hair to put it back to perfection and wetted his lips for the hundredth time. His heart was thundering madly and he was worried for a moment that he could actually pass out. Mortals did this sometimes and being close to her, meant that he was as mortal as one could be. The thought however, made him smile.

He could swear he already felt her. Her heartbeat sending thick, vibrating pulses through the air. Her body heat somehow radiating from the house, through the door towards him. The faint vanilla scent of her wavy, blonde hair… He swallowed again. _Bloody hell! Get a grip of yourself and get ON with it!_ Glancing over his shoulder towards the row of low cut bushes, he gave a last instruction with a mere dark look, and then screwed up his courage and rang the doorbell.

* * *

"He promised, mom!" Trixie tried to encourage her mother, who had been walking back and forth between kitchen and living room for the umpteenth time. "I _know_ he will come."

Chloe's fingers nervously fumbled with her necklace. "Yeah… yeah he promised. I know, monkey." _I know, monkey… I heard him… he's on his way home,_ she thought, biting her lower lip at the memory of his voice inside her mind. It had been the sweetest sound ever since their last night together. From the moment she knew that he was on his way, she made sure things would be ready. Even though she had everything prepared already for lunch, now it was 8.36pm as she looked at her kitchen clock. The sun had settled hours ago, and she thought about all those families being gathered now, joyfully celebrating, having dinner and spending this meaningful time of the year together. She never celebrated Christmas out of faith, but because of its meaning. To have a day to be reminiscent of the gift it is to be blessed with people you love unconditionally and who love you back just the same.

Chewing on her lower lip, she checked her looks in the mirror. Again. She had her hair open and wavy, put on decent makeup, just a bit of mascara and a soft shiny peach colored lipstick. The dress was knee long, dark blue and sticking tight to her slender curves. The neckline was not very deep, but showed just enough of her chest to give a decent idea of what was underneath. She looked good, she thought but grimaced when she glanced at her eyes. _Yeah…'good' if I'd put a freaking bag on my head. I look like a nervous wreck! Who am I kidding? I AM a nervous wreck!_

"Hey, Chloe…" Dan softly called from the couch, handing Trixie the golden glitter she pointed at. "Just relax. I'm sure he just got stuck in traffic or something."

"On Christmas? Really, Dan?" She knew he was just trying to calm her, but it didn't work at all since the past week. Still, she had to give him credit for continuously trying. It was unfair to take her worries and frustration out on him. Of course Dan had no idea about where Lucifer was. She merely had told him that he had to take care of business in the south, which was sort of accurate. "Sorry…" She replied to him, sighed and took out her phone. It wouldn't make sense to call Lucifer. He would simply show up as soon as he could, right? Instead she accessed her media player and put on a classic Christmas song playlist over the speakers in the living room to try and soothe her mind with music.

Observing her daughter as she bend over the coffee table to worked on one of her drawings, Chloe figured she needed something to busy herself with, something other than her phone, which only kept reminding her what time it was, anyways. A glass of red wine would surely help her relax and loosen up a little.

With her thoughts still thinking at the alcoholic beverage and having an inner monologue about whether or not she should have a sip, she was pulled out of her mind from a sudden ring of the doorbell. She startled with a gasp, her heart threatening to jump out her throat.

* * *

His hands were shaking from excitement, worry and hope. With a scoffing sound about his own insecurity he pushed them into his pockets, his right hand's fingers brushing over soft velvet material. His breathing accelerated and he felt his throat tighten further, with his chest almost bursting from his heart pounding so heavily against his ribcage. A pressure built up in his eyes, burning, but it didn't annoy him as it had when he had spoken with his siblings. No. This was different. The tension inside him, he knew, was his longing to see her. To finally be with her again. For good. No Detective Douche, no bloody Pierce-the-first-killer-Cain, no Gadreel, no hell breaking loose, no other siblings interfering and also no blasted Dad was going to ruin _this_. Their reunion. He suddenly heard a shifting inside the apartment and in one fast swing the door was pulled fully open. And there she was.

The dress accentuating her curves, the hem ending right above her knees, the dark blue bringing out the shimmer of her ocean blue eyes just perfectly. A flicker of the lights from inside reflected at her neck, making him instantly see she was wearing the bullet necklace. It only took him a blink of an eye to take in her dressup and he focused on her expression, his breath getting stuck in his throat again. She looked directly at him, frozen for an endless moment, her eyes as wide as his own from shock and wonder that this was truly real, that they made it, that they were finally back together. Some strange sound escaped his throat which he vaguely recognised as a sob, before he started to move.

He didn't even realize it, his mind being in a daze, as he stepped inside with two wide strides, his hands slipping out of his pockets. Both reached up, tenderly tracing along her cheeks, cupping them as he leaned down and met her lips. Passionate and desperately his lips moved against hers, his tongue brushing in between them. He didn't know how he could even control himself to silently beg for her consent, but also didn't have to wait a second before he was allowed to deepen their kiss.

It was almost like a dream. Her mind was reeling and at the same time his lips were like a cleansing fire, destroying every trivial thought, every unnecessary worry. Her lips had parted all too willingly, inviting- no, _demanding_ to be claimed from his hunger for her. Trembling fingers quickly reached up and buried themselves into thick dark strands, pulling him closer, while with a small kick she shut the door and made them both stumble a few more steps inside. She felt his large hands change positions, as his left snaked around her waist, firmly pressing her against his frame while his right went behind her head, getting lost in her blonde hair.

He noticed with a low moan, how somehow he continued to tremble as he kissed her without taking a breath. He didn't plan to let her out of his arms if he could help it. Oh no! He would praise her, kiss her and love her until the end of time.

"You're crying," Chloe's quiet voice suddenly pulled them both out of their emotional overdrive bubble. She moved her head back a little, her lips swollen and red from their rough and eager kiss. Irritated and worried, thinking that perhaps there was something that caused him pain, her eyes frantically looked over his face while she moved her hands to brush his tears away.

His dark brown orbs blinked, freeing a few more droplets of the salty liquid as he sucked in a trembling breath, the aching in his chest barely started to ease, but he could feel the tension lessen ever so slowly. He sighed in joy at the feeling of her warm fingers on his skin, his body unable to not let her know how much he longed for her touch as it automatically leaned into her. "So are you," he whispered hoarsely, leaning back in to her face, nuzzling their noses as he rested his forehead against hers. An awkward, pent up laugh escaped them both as they stifled their sobs with short, sharp breaths until eventually they had calmed down. With a content smile, he buried his face back into her neck again, inhaling her scent as if it was his life essence, his drug, he couldn't ever get enough of.

"I've missed you…" Chloe breathed against his ear, again tightening her hold on him. The tension of the last week had been unbearable for her to get along with and it took its tolls as she had trouble getting enough sleep and properly functioning throughout the days. Especially the last two days had felt like her personalized hell, with her thoughts continuously washing back and forth to Lucifer, praying to him and secretly crying in his penthouse, wishing for time to run by faster. And now that she finally had him back in her embrace, feeling his charming scruff tickling her neck and the warmth radiating off of him, she felt a ton lifted off her whole body, allowing her to properly breathe again for the first time in a month.

Tenderly Lucifer brushed his lips along her neck until he reached her pulse point right below her jawline, planting a featherlight kiss, feeling how it gave her heart a jolt. "I've missed you, too, my love…" he let out a fresh sob, but smiled against her skin. "So much…, so very much..." There were no words that could capture the true weight of his feelings.

He leaned a bit backwards, taking in her looks once again, tenderly brushing a thumb along her cheek. "You look beautiful." The way she reacted, with her cheeks flushing a darker shade of red, made him let out a quiet laugh. Had she still no idea what a dazzling beauty she was? How much her appearance tore at his restraints, so as not to do all kinds of salacious things with her, no matter if she had just woken up or came home after an exhausting day at work? To him, she looked beautiful in every way.

She lowered her face a few inches, accepting his compliment with a shy smile. "You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Morningstar," she whispered back, mindlessly brushing her fingers over the button row of his vest and seeing him taking in a sharp, trembling breath.

"You came!" a high pitched voice rang from behind Chloe and big almond shaped eyes sparkled with joy when Trixie got her moment to tackle Lucifer.

Chloe realized that Dan had probably held their daughter back a little, to give her and Lucifer a moment of privacy. That's a very kind move of him, she thought, watching Trixie close the distance to them in a blur.

Trixie threw herself in between the two adults, but Lucifer met her movement, not letting her wrap her arms around his legs, but instead bending down to her and picking her up in his arms. "Ouf!" she gasped and giggled, hugging him tightly around his neck. "I _knew_ you would come!"

The ache in his chest returned and yet was being soothed at the same time, the moment he had her back in his arms. When had it happened, that he felt such need to have the little rascals arms wrapped around him so tightly? He didn't know, but remembered clearly how often he had thought about the spawn and her mother, wishing for nothing more, than to see them again. To be _home_ again. "Of course I did. We had a deal, had we not?" he commented leisurely, although it was a weak attempt at coming across as a smartass, because he couldn't hold his voice without breaking. He hugged her tightly, inhaling her sweet berry scent for a moment longer and pressing a kiss to her temple, before gently setting her down. "I hope I'm not all too late." He sounded insecure as he looked back at Chloe. Apparently she could see how much he was still longing for her contact, because she reached back to him to caress over his scruff.

"No, you're not. You're perfectly on time." She genuinely smiled at him, her eyes sparkling in the soft lighting of the room. When she leaned in to quickly peck his lips, she caught him swallow, his eyes ever so slightly wandering. "What is it?"

"I'm… I'm actually not sure how this works to be honest," he muttered, looking insecurely over to the decoration and dining room table, before looking back at her.

"What, you never celebrated Christmas before? Are you kidding?" Dan's voice rang from the living room, making himself known. He stepped closer, hands slightly stiff positioned to his waist. Even though he and Lucifer had sort of gotten along a little better, Dan still thought of him to be weird. But with the events of the past weeks, months now even, and also with this vibe he seemed to feel between Chloe and Lucifer, he felt more accepting of their closeness. Not that it was any of his business, really. He knew that. But he couldn't ever drop how much he cared for Chloe. Knowing that Lucifer would do everything for her safety and happiness, put his mind at ease though.

Chloe glanced from Dan back to Lucifer, noticing how he gave her a pointed look in return. "Oh…" _Right… because any celebration that has anything to do with his Dad being praised is a bummer… Understandable..._

"It's not that I never celebrated at that particular day. I certainly had my jingle bells rang- Outch! Hey, that hurt! I'm still healing up!" he exclaimed as she elbowed him into his ribs. In exaggerated protest he pouted and glowered playfully offended. "Well, I just did not celebrate it… in this… constellation."

She waited with a wary glance, wondering if he was trying to attempt yet another innuendo she needed to elbow him into his ribs for, but figured he had had enough. Plus, of course she wasn't mad at him. "How do you mean that?" she curiously added, tilting her head to the side.

He looked at the little hellspawn again. Her sparkling eyes warming him from the inside as he remembered her words what Christmas was all about. "To spend it... with… the people who I love and who love me as well." Again he caught Chloe's eyes spilling fresh tears that she quickly wiped away with the back of her tender hands. "Although perhaps that does count a little less for your Ex," he added with a smirk, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Oh just shut up..." she snickered quietly, glad for him lighting up the mood, and took a deep breath. "Well, first things first. Take off your jacket and then we can start with dinner." The smile came more easily from her lips now, with no tension, worries and wonders anymore. She was beyond relieved to have him back safe and sound.

She motioned for them all to take a seat while she brought the various bowls and plates. The smell was delicious as she had prepared stuffed turkey with chestnuts and red wine sauce, and several side dishes to choose from. With a proud smile, she watched Lucifer's eyes sparkle with every dish she brought to them, knowing that, yes, gluttony was his favourite sin. Besides, she figured that he hadn't had a real meal in hell, and this would be his first in two years.

At last, she picked something from her upper kitchen cabinet, and quickly hid it as a small surprise behind her back when she came to the table, stopping at Lucifer's right side. His eyes looked her over, catching the little smirk she tried to hide, but before he could ask, she revealed the bottle to him.

The excitement and happiness was written all over his face as he took the bottle from her. "A Michter's Celebration Limited Edition Sour Mash!? Darling… Bloody hell, this is… wow… Thank you!" he exclaimed and grinned from ear to ear. "But… how… how did you-"

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she dipped down to kiss his cheek. "I asked Maze. She told me you wouldn't have anything real to drink where you were, so I figured you might be in need." A bit reluctantly she added, "It's actually from your own top shelf though… I hope you don't mind. You know I could never afford this bottle..."

He snickered and shook his head, turning his head to sweetly kiss her back. "I don't mind, not at all. As the saying goes: It's the thought that counts. Thank you, love."

"Can we finally eat now!? I'm staaaarving!" Trixie rang from the other side of the table, being accompanied by Dan, who couldn't hold an amused giggle.

And with that, they started their Christmas dinner. While Chloe stayed rather quiet about her own past four weeks, she was happy to see how Lucifer entertained them with glorious battle stories against disgusting monsters, all the while paying attention to use all kinds of things lying around to help him display the stories more vividly. Trixie for her part was absolutely happy, enjoying the stories from him, her eyes wide whenever he let the dramatic tension rise.

"...and then the Titans were grunting and growling. Roooaarrr!" Lucifer curled his fingers in the air towards Trixie, as he mimicked the monsters, causing Trixie to giggle, "Their big feet were stomping through the lands, leaving behind nothing but destruction. The loyal soldiers had quite a hard time with these bigfoots. But _then_ something happened, that _nobody_ had seen coming!"

Trixie's eyes were glued to him. She swallowed her last bite of turkey with an audible gulp. "What? What happened!?"

"Oh come on man, that's not a story for kids. So much beasts and violence and everything." Dan argued a bit grumpily, nipping at his beer.

But Chloe gave him an eyeroll. "Don't be so dramatic, Dan. It's fine. You should see how cruel some of the Disney movies can be nowadays. Besides… he's not being too graphic about it. Come on, let him finish," she countered gently and gave Lucifer a nudge. "So? What happened?"

He tilted his head at her, silently thanking for her backup. "Well it's hard to believe. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one..." he muttered, the moment clearly present in front of his mind's eye. "A full army of angels decided to came down to hell on their own behalf, to help out. Not sponsored by the the Big Guy, by the way," he added the last part with a grunt.

Her smile slowly dropped, her eyes widening, as she understood the seriousness in his story. _It isn't possible, is it? Did my prayers actually have evoked movement among Lucifer's siblings? Did they help him after I screamed at them? And... his Dad did NOT send them?_

"Woooaah! A real army!? Like soldiers with wings?" Trixie asked excitedly. She was completely wrapped up in Lucifer's story, the boundaries of imagination and her knowledge of Lucifer being an actual angel, and thus also the one and only Devil, mixing up in her mind to form a fantastic scenery.

"Exactly!" Lucifer's grin was infectious. "They were all dressed up for heroic warfare, spawn! You should've seen them! Shiny armours, engraved with angelic runes, equipped with powerful weapons, forged in divine light! With joined forces, the armies fought back the hellish creatures and put them into the deepest corners of hell, locking them up so they could never ever escape again."

"That is SOOO cool!" The little girl exclaimed. "I'll make drawings of that story!"

"Great idea, monkey." Chloe curiously looked back at Lucifer, knowing that he didn't lie about that story. She offered him an understanding nod and smile. It felt amazing to have him back at her side, feeling the warmth and love he radiated.

They finished dinner with more stories provided by the Devil, before they all were completely satiated. While they brought the dirty dishes into the kitchen, Lucifer became a little impatient. Every now and then his eyes would flicker towards the door.

"Sooo… I was told this holiday isn't about presents, but still… I wondered… when _is_ it time for presents?"

"Usually after singing," Trixie explained grinning as she handed her mother the last dish for the dishwasher.

Lucifer's expression faltered and he ground his teeth, his posture stiffening. "Oh hell no. I'm not going to sing to praise _Him_. Not in a million years. Ever. Not even if it were the end of the world-"

"You know what?" Chloe interrupted him with a soft voice, turning to him. "I guess we can make an exception and skip it." Giving him a quick peck on his lips, she brushed past him to the living room again, quickly joined by the others.

" _Amen_ to that," he quipped satisfied, shortly glancing over to the door again. He brooded over the thought of waiting with his presents until Daniel would have headed home and he would be alone with the Decker women. Because one present could possibly kill him if things got out of hand, which of course he didn't, but you never knew… As for his second present, Lucifer definitely needed privacy with Chloe, and Dan better be far away.

To his surprise, Dan initiated the gift-ceremony, handing out his present to Lucifer. Something tugged in his stomach and he deciphered it as nervousness, because quite frankly, he had not even spared a thought on getting a present for Dan since his return from hell merely a few hours ago. "I… I'm sorry Daniel, I can't accept that… I don't have any-"

But Dan raised his hands. "It's fine. You don't have to give me anything. Your help for Charlotte's funeral was really more than I could have ever asked for, so-"

"Oh I disagree on that. Your LAPD salary is an absolute disaster, so frankly-"

"Dude!" With a roll of his eyes, he sighed, muttering quietly, "Will you just shut up?" He took a deep breath, regaining his composure as Lucifer just stared at him, baffled. "Anyways, as I was about to say… it was really kind of you to help with all the details, giving me the contacts and have the money at my disposal. Also…" he stopped, his body shifting a moment in hesitation. "You already are giving me a great present."

Lucifer blinked in confusion. He had been in hell for the last month, counting earth's time, and right now he stood in front of him with no present in hands for Daniel. "I… I don't understand. How so?"

"You're back from your trip. And I know you will be taking good care of Chloe and Trixie again. That's what's most important." He coughed awkwardly, hands impatiently on his hips, not really enjoying to have an emotional dude-moment with Lucifer. "Now come on, open your present."

 _Well, he's got more balls than I gave him credit for… that's for sure…_ Looking back at him and then at Chloe and Trixie, he saw their curious and anticipating stares, how their eyes were filled with pure happiness, warming him from the inside. Swallowing he opened the package. His eyes widened along with a cheeky grin of joy slipping up his lips. "Daniel! Bloody hell!"

"What is it?" Chloe asked, not yet able to see what Lucifer was so excited about.

Proudly he lifted up a Blu-Ray package, pointing at it with his index finger. "This, my dear, is the Special Edition Director's Cut of Body Bags 1 to 6! This is absolutely brilliant! That gets a special place in my collection!"

Chloe tried to, but she quickly failed at her attempt to hold back a wholehearted laughter about his happiness. It was adorable how he could be surprised with small and strange things such as a DVD from a cheesy, over the top testosterone-filled, action movie. _Men..._

"Thank you, Daniel." Lucifer beamed, and watched then in even greater curiosity as Dan handed his presents to Chloe and Trixie.

Within moments Trixie squealed. "A trip to Disney Laaaand! Yeah! Thanks dad!" She tightly hugged him and showered his face with little kisses.

Chloe, on the other hand, had her mouth falling open in shock as she stared at a piece of paper in her hands. "Dan!"

"You said it yourself Chlo." Dan let out a snicker, finally able to have Trixie stop attacking his face, "You looked like hell, so I figured you could use a bit of relaxation. I'm sure Lucifer would love to join you for the stay." Dan explained with a confident smile.

"The stay? What stay? What's he talking about?" Lucifer asked intrigued and stepped to Chloe's side, spotting a reservation for the Casa Del Mar spa hotel. "Oh! Great choice. That's the best one in town!"

Chloe gave Dan a warm embrace, thankful for his attention to her exhaustion throughout the past weeks. "Oh wow… Dan that's so sweet. Thank you so much." As she pulled away, Trixie stepped up and handed him her present.

While Dan opened up the wrapping paper of his present, Lucifer took in the moment with a strange feeling of satisfaction forming in his chest. He felt warm and secure, at the right place. Respected, loved and cared for. Knowing that it had not been there before, made him realize, he truly had lacked the feel of belonging. Of a true home. Of family. And he felt his eyes watering at the certainty that now, he finally had one.

"Oh monkey…" Dan's voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts, sounding thick and hoarse all of a sudden, laced with sorrow. "Thank you, sweety. I love it. Thank you so much..."

Lucifer watched quietly as Dan knelt down and took his daughter into a fierce, loving embrace, holding in his right hand a sheet of paper with a drawing on it. Making a small, unobtrusive step to the side, he could take a glimpse on the content. He swallowed thickly, seeing it was a picture with all of them holding hands and Charlotte waving down from what apparently Trixie had pictured to be the Silver City.

Giving his daughter a kiss to her cheek, Dan stood back up. Next in line was Chloe who handed him her present.

"It's not only from me, but also from Ella, by the way. She figured she needed to make special amends to you." Chloe snickered softly as she watched Dan unwrap his present.

Dan's eyes lit up as he opened the hand crafted card with a printed letter inside. "This… this is from Snack Pack?!" he exclaimed incredulously and feverishly read through the lines. "A lifetime monthly supply of pudding of my own choice!?" The corners of his lips curled up. "That's, wow, Chloe! How did you guys…?"

She shrugged with a smirk. "Well, we did some sneaky move perhaps… you know? After the incident with your previous pudding brand, we sort of implied to Snack Pack, that a test would keep their name clean from any connection towards the other brand. They were more than happy to comply and as it turned out they were all good, and we were given this as a big 'thank you'."

"You little sly fox!" Lucifer commented with a grin. "I am impressed! Such deviousness! I wouldn't have believed you had it in you." Her little slap on his arm and her shy smirk were warming his heart. _Has my behavior made her a wee bit of a rebel herself?_ He thought amused, watching Dan and her hug.

But after a moment, Lucifer let out a small, tensed sigh, realizing how late it was with a glance at Chloe's kitchen clock. He had been inside the apartment for almost three hours now and he became a little worried about his present. To his comfortable surprise Dan suggested that he'd call it a night, as he had been assigned with work for the next day. A weight fell off his shoulders, because he was sure, he probably wouldn't have had the heart to ask for Dan to leave, for his own safety. The two detectives would only have been worried and would probably have immediately protested. But having Daniel leave on his own will, was working in Lucifer's favor. Together they wished him goodnight and shortly settled back in the living room.

 _Hopefully nothing happens to him on his way out… Nah… there is no screaming, so I suppose he's fine._ "So…" Lucifer began, rubbing his hands. "Now it's my turn to hand out presents to you, ladies." He thought about how to best present his surprise and motioned at Trixie. "Beatrice, I need you to stay put on the couch there, for a moment. When I call you, you come over to us, alright?"

The little girl tilted her head in wonder, squinting her eyes. "Okay, Lucifer."

"What's going on?" Chloe asked, a bit irritated at his instructions.

He ignored her question, gently taking her hand and pulling her along with him, closer towards the door. "And you stand right… here." When she gave him another pointed look, he added, "Trust me, please? It's a surprise." The excitement rose inside of him and he couldn't keep from chewing his lip and shifting his weight. "Are you ready?"

"Sure… go ahead. Ready as we can be… I guess," she responded with an amused laugh, enjoying how excited he was. But it fueled the curiosity inside her even more. What did he get to be _so_ excited about showing them?

Taking a deep breath, Lucifer nodded and went to the door, pulling it fully open. Curiously, Chloe peered outside, but aside from the vague grey of her front path to the apartment, she couldn't see a thing. That was until Lucifer spoke.

"Come in." His voice sounded a bit more accentuated than usual, as if he was assigning an order, but not in a harsh way.

Slowly Chloe could make out a blurry shape trotting closer to her door and only when it had reached the threshold, could she make out its characteristics. A massive, black furred, orange eyed hound tilted its head, with its snout slightly hanging open. Chloe was speechless when the dog slowly moved in further, closing the distance to her until it had reached her. With a sudden bark and agitated wiggle of its tail, it pressed its full weight against her frame, the muzzle nudging against her hand, starting to lick it affectionately.

"Oh. My. Go-" Chloe uttered in disbelief and surprise, having to balance herself as not to be knocked over from the dog that was easily reaching her stomach. "Cerberus!?" She immediately began rubbing and scrubbing him, and Cerberus responded with joyful whines and barks as he twirled around in front of her, starting to jump and leap up to lick her face. "Yeah! Ha! Yeah, you sweet, big, drooling fur ball, I've missed you, too."

"Now, now!" Lucifer stepped closer with a finger warningly raised, "What did I tell you? No face licking. That's disgusting! I don't want to kiss her with your sticky goo all over her."

Cerberus' head snapped to look at Lucifer, his eyes big and pleading, but as the Devil held his looks with a firm glare, the dog gave in and calmed down, lowering to a sitting position with a sad little huff.

Tears had welled up in her eyes again and Chloe happily sniffed away. "I… I don't understand, I thought he… I thought he couldn't make it…"

With a warm smile Lucifer closed the distance to them and Cerberus affectionately nudged his head against Lucifer's side, offering his master a deep, content howl. Lucifer knew that his dog was aware of Chloe and him having assumed Cerberus to be dead, that he had bleed out from the gruesome wounds he had suffered in hell. Gently, he brushed his hand along the side of Cerberus soft furred snout. "Well… he made it. Not exactly sure how, to be honest. I still gotta have a decent talk with him at some point. After the battles were over, I found him in the throne room. From what I gathered, he seems to have stayed there and protected it ever since we left. He fully recovered from his wounds, with not even a scratch… which… only leads me to one assumption."

Her brows arched, not only at his mention about him needing to have _a decent talk_ with his dog, but also at his guess. "Your dad?" She took his silent nod and shrug as a point of pride, but could see the gratitude he felt about the act his father presumably had done for him, by saving both Chloe and Cerberus.

Straightening and composing himself again he looked into the living room. "Beatrice? You can join us now. Cerberus is very eager to meet you," he called over to the little human, who still patiently waited on the couch.

Curiously, Trixie stepped around the corner, halting briefly as she spotted the dog that was as tall as her. "I _knew_ I heard a dog, but… WOOAH! He's huuuge!" she cheered and quickly came closer.

Cerberus looked excitedly from Lucifer to Chloe and the little human back and forth, whining and flailing his tail before, all of a sudden, lying down, exposing his belly and rolling from side to side, begging to be tummy-rubbed. Giggling, both Trixie and Chloe lowered themselves on their knees to give him a proper cuddle.

With a sigh and an eye roll, Lucifer waved his hands down in defeat. "Just look at you! You're impossible, Cerberus! I cannot believe it. Such an old pooch, drools everywhere, having unspeakable bad breath and still, you're getting all the ladies' attention."

"Aww… you sweet thing. Looks like someone is a bit jealous…" Chloe spoke to Cerberus, not able to hide a grin.

His mouth agape, he gasped for air, obviously hurt in his pride. "I…. I am NOT jealous of a bloody hellhound!"

Trixie shot a surprised look at Lucifer. "He's a _hellhound_!? I knew he's special! He's so huge and strong and look at his eyes! They're orange!" She grinned and fell into a new wave of giggles when Cerberus nuzzled his snout at her hands with a happy yelp. "Can we keep him, Lucifer!?" Her glance went from Lucifer to Chloe. "Moooom?"

At first, Lucifer felt his heart sink, seeing the little rascal's pleading eyes, so full of hope when she begged him to keep the dog. But then, it seemed the odds had turned in his favor, when her impossibly adorable puppy eyes looked at her mother. _I am such a lucky Devil… That decision should be hers to make anyways… although... I_ could _help..._

"Oh monkey… I… I'm not sure if we can… or… _should_." At her last words, Chloe looked back at Lucifer with a frown. "Zuriel had told me that Cerberus was assigned to guard the gates… Shouldn't he be doing that?"

"Well he certainly has done it long enough. Cerberus is now officially retired from the job," he explained, earning happy barks from his loyal dog.

"That's great! I'm sure he's going to enjoy his offtime… But… who's taking care of the gates now? Your siblings?"

"Gadreel," he disclosed to her in a sudden serious tone, and Chloe immediately mirrored his facial expression, with all the cheerfulness fleeing her face. "I made him the new guardian. I suppose it's an adequate path to his redemption-"

"Mom!" Trixie interrupted them, being happily licked over her face by Cerberus. Of course he had understood that the rule to not lick a face only applied to Chloe, not to her daughter. "Can we!? Please?"

Glad for the quick change of the previous sad topic, Lucifer raised a brow at Chloe, deciding to help her a little. "Obviously I didn't bring him over for only a short visit. I wondered if he could serve as your watchdog. Your personal hellhound. No bad guy would ever get close to you, while having him around. He's the best tracking device there is, even better than Maze, if I may add. He listens and obeys to your every word, plus… he's _really_ good at learning tricks." His grin was astute and he radiated off his charming Lucifer-ness, knowing he had already convinced her after his first sentence.

Chloe closed her eyes shut and sighed, a defeated smile spreading over her lips. That smug bastard. Of course she would agree. "Yes."

Trixies eyes went wide once more. "YEAAAH! Thank you mom!"

Along with her, Cerberus jumped back up, tail wiggling. The dog rushed from Trixie over to Chloe, licking her hand before heading to Lucifer. With a flood of barks, whines and huffs, Cerberus pushed his front paws up, easily reaching his master's shoulders to rest upon. Knowing better than to anger Lucifer by licking his face, Cerberus nudged his muzzle under Lucifer's chin and brushed his thick head's side along the Devil's scruff.

Quickly Lucifer met his head, scrubbing its sides. "You're such a lucky, old boy," he quipped. "Alright then… so… what's up next for this Christmas Eve?" He looked back at Chloe curiously, glad Cerberus quickly went back to enjoy more tummy-rubs from Trixie.

"Actually…" she began, rolling her lower lip between her teeth, her eyes showing a hint of mischief, that she quickly pushed aside again with a harumph. "It's already quite late, meaning thaaaat…" she pointed at her daughter. "...you, young lady, get ready for bed now."

"But moooom!"

"Nope. No begging. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm sure you'll need the energy to play with Cerberus." She knew that got her.

"Can he sleep in my room?" her daughter asked with big eyes, a soft pout appearing. With a mirrored expectant look Cerberus sat down next to Trixie, head tilting and ears straight, twitching with attention towards Chloe's reaction. He fully understood what Trixie had asked.

She looked at her and Cerberus, considering. After a few moments her eyes stayed sternly on Cerberus, her voice strict but not mean. "You will not sleep in her bed and you won't keep her up with all your licking and snuggling. Understood?"

Cerberus threw his head back in a wave of happy barks and howls, his tail thumping in lightning speed on the floor. His muzzle revealed his teeth, almost as if he was smiling back at her.

 _Holy shit, that's creepy…_ she involuntarily thought, but figured that aside from that, she was actually rather cool with the outer appearance of him, even though his whole posture was looking intimidating. Having gotten to know him, Cerberus was truly a very pleasant fellow to have around. She knew he would make a fantastic watchdog, remembering clearly how fiercely he had fought to protect her and Lucifer. He would do the same for Trixie as she was sure Lucifer had already given him the instructions to do so. She looked at her daughter and nodded. "Alright sweety."

"Awesome! Thanks mom!" Her daughter dashed forward with a beaming smile and gave her a quick hug before turning to Lucifer and doing the same to him. "Thank you, Lucifer. That's such a cool present!"

"You're welcome, Beatrice," he chuckled slightly, muttering to her mother, "So easy to make these little creatures happy. I really don't see how that can be so hard. Bribing works fine for young and old it seems."

She pretended to not have heard him, although unable to hold back a slight slip in her voice as she addressed her daughter. "Alright, brush your teeth and then off to bed, monkey. No more reading tonight, it's late."

"Okay. Goodnight!" Trixie gave Cerberus a generous scrub over his large head and motioned him to follow her. "Come on Cerberus. Follow me!" With quick strides, she climbed the stairs and was immediately followed by the massive hellhound. He was paying attention to not overrun her, even though it was obvious he had to hold back his excitement about his new home.

Chloe and Lucifer listened with amusement written all over their faces, as Trixie's electric toothbrush buzzed along and cheerful deep barks from Cerberus accompanied her, making the girl squeal and giggle. "Yeah… I think they will be fine." She chuckled and leaned in towards Lucifer, gently placing her palms against his chest. She could feel his heart instantly making a jump and it caused her cheeks to flush.

"Mmmm…" he purred with a content smile, his hands snaking around her waist, pulling her against him sharply. The pressure of her body against his sent jolts through his every fibre. "Now… it's time for your present, love." He leaned down, pasting a chaste kiss against her forehead.

"Lucifer…" Her voice was a soft protest, "You don't have to give me anything. You already gave me my present by coming back safely. And you even brought Cerberus."

"Oh please, darling… don't be so modest," he breathed and moved a hand to lift her chin to better look at her. The moment their eyes met, a wave of tingles rushed down his spine, making him shiver with a gasp. He held her mesmerizing gaze, sharing this moment, enjoying it thoroughly while the sounds around them faded: Trixie and Cerberus were quietly retreating to the little girls room, and the music hopped to the next song, a soft background tune.

"Okay…" her tender voice whispered in response. Her eyes were wide open, taking in the different shades of his brown irises and the sparkle that showed up in them. The way his eyes flickered and with the steady, rapid pounding beneath her palms, she knew he was nervous and in turn, it made her nervous as well.

Suddenly he felt his heart begin to thunder as he realized, that this was it. She was waiting for him and he swallowed audibly, nervousness creeping up inside him. He licked his lips, his expression shifting from wondrous to excitement and insecurity. "You know… I heard you," he quietly spoke, placing his hands over hers that were resting on his chest. He could see that she needed a moment to understand what he meant, but as soon as it _clicked_ in her mind, her eyes watered and she nodded once. "Thank you… You have no idea how much you helped me with your words. To stay strong and confident… and… and bloody hell, I wanted to be with you again so badly." He let out a tensed laugh and felt how her happiness washed over him in calming waves.

Her eyes looked at him curiously. She appeared relaxed, but he could hear her heart thundering much like his own. _How is that even possible? Why is_ she _excited?_ "Chloe, you…" he broke off, having to swallow yet again and to take a deep calming breath. "Chloe, you're the most wonderful being there is. You're so beautiful inside out, it takes my breath away every time I look at you and every time you let me see your grace."

Chloe felt her knees weaken at his words, her chest aching. She was about to return his compliment, wanting for him to know just how much she loved his endless generosity, his devotion and care, not just for her and Trixie, but the moment she took a breath, Lucifer gently stopped her and continued to speak.

"The goodness you evoke in me and how you make me a better version of myself is absolutely puzzling and beyond my understanding. You've _seen_ me… my other face… and yet, you see me for _who_ I am, not _what_ I am. To know that you love _all_ of me is more than I could have ever asked for. I'm aware that your life has become quite different since we've met. Even more so since my light changed you." He watched her reactions as he spoke, taking in the little shift in her eyes, the way they dilated and how she swallowed and licked her lips, intently listening to him. "You are doing things to me that are completely new to me on a regular basis, which is saying quite a lot from someone as old as time." He chuckled softly, and felt his heart slow down its speed when she joined him in his laugh with the sweetest smile. "I love you, Chloe. Nothing could ever change that."

Gently he lifted his right hand to brush over her cheek, enjoying her light shiver beneath his featherlight touch. "I know it's selfish and prideful, but I can't help the wish to have you all for myself. I want to be the one person that fills your heart with joy and can take away your worries, whether that means I fight off the bad guys, that I hold you close or by calming your busy detective brain, showering you with kisses or teasing you with my stupid, childish innuendos." Again he was rewarded with a soft snicker and her eyes started to fill with tears. He caught her swallowing thickly and he knew she was fighting hard to stay composed.

"You know probably better than anyone else, even better than my siblings, what I think about my Dad, but lately… it feels like He did at least a few things right. He brought us together. Even more than once. I know how much religious ceremonies mean to humans and, although technically you're not human anymore, I assume it still is of high value to you. For me this is beyond any belief system, Chloe. I've heard humans talk about having found their soulmates and I had never believed in anything like that existing, but now I do and I'm certain that this is what you are to me, because… without you… I… I don't feel complete." He slowly removed his hand from her cheek, slipping it into his dress pants' pocket, nervously brushing over the velvet texture inside.

"And that's the reason why I want to make a vow to you," he continued, trying his best to keep his voice from shaking as he took out a small red velvet box. "I promise to you, that I will do everything in my power, to make you happy and complete you in all the ways I can, just like you complete me. I will always be there as your backup. I'll be whatever you need me to be and I will love you beyond existence." He couldn't keep his breathing from becoming ragged, even though he tried desperately to stay calm when he opened the box, turning it in his fingers, so she could see its content.

She took a shaking breath, her heart pounding so fast, she was worried she might faint. His words sank into her, wrapped around her and made her feel so special like nobody had ever done before. Upon seeing him reveal a small box from his pocket, her heart had contracted in pleasant surprise. _Is he…?_ She looked in the box and swallowed the lump in her throat. A delicate silver - _or was it platinum?_ \- ring was embedded inside. A large, slightly warped rectangular onyx stone was adorned by a row of tiny glistening diamonds. Immediately her eyes flickered to his right hand, feeling heat flush her cheeks, knowing that the ring was intentionally designed similar to his own ring. "Lucifer… that's…" Her words were so quiet, she wasn't even sure they could be heard. Blinking several times she returned to look in his eyes, seeing the endless love in them, the same she felt for him as well.

He could see her shock, being speechless and completely overwhelmed. He had expected that, but wasn't sure how she would react any further. He took another shaky breath and lowered slowly on his right knee. _Bloody hell, is it always like this for humans? Are they all suffering from this… this… nervous breakdown?!_ Wettening his lips with a flick of his tongue, he locked eyes with her once again, feeling himself happily drowning in the depth of her grey-blue orbs. "Chloe Jane Decker," he spoke up tenderly, "Will you make me the happiest man and marry me?"

Tears streamed over the threshold of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, burning with heat. Her surroundings had become a distant blur, the music no more than a faint, soft thud in the background, hardly audible due to the hammering of her heart. And all of a sudden, his words rang in her head, vibrating through her skin, into her muscles and bones, and it was as if finally an impossibly massive weight slipped off of her, her mind responding with a very loud and clear answer, before she replied, "Yes." It was quiet, shaky and chaste. And she wasn't sure it was loud enough, but felt the urge to repeat it, no matter if necessary or not, because Lucifer seemed frozen on the spot. "Yes," she breathed again, louder, her voice not shaking, nodding at him slowly, then more vigorously.

"Yes?" his voice broke and his breathing hitched, stifling an almost disbelieving sob. Upon seeing her nodding continuously, he exhaled heavily, his expression shifting from wonder to shock and then eventually relief. All the tension brushed off of him in an instant as he took the ring from its padding and took her hand into his. Checking her expression when he slowly slipped the ring on her finger, a smile spread on his lips, his whole body glowing from happiness.

The ring fit perfectly on her slender fingers and he couldn't help the thought of how much she looked like a goddess to him. Standing up again, he leaned in, lips brushing along hers, almost hesitant at first, but then both of them melted against each other. He let out a desperate moan, his tongue tenderly brushing against hers, yet needily exploring, caressing and tasting her. Her arms slipped around his neck, pulling him closer, her lips working more feverishly against his own as he pressed her body tightly against his.

Whimpering moans flowed in between them when their kiss became more desperate with every passing second, both of them moving their hands from skin to hair and soft clothing fabric, unable to get enough until eventually they had to break apart for air.

Resting her forehead against his, Chloe brushed one hand up into his hair, scraping through the short strands above his neck, drawing out another deep moan from him. "That was quite the present… I'm not sure I can compete with that…" she whispered jokingly, a shy smile tugging at her swollen lips.

Lucifer took in deep, calming breaths, snickering at her words. "You, my beautiful angel, don't have to compete with me for anything. You already gave me the best present by saying yes, and made me the happiest man walking the planes of existence." He smiled warmly, brushing away the trail of tears from her cheeks. "Although…" he continued, his smile turning mischievous and sly, "there is something you could do, that would make me just a tad bit happier…" He playfully wiggled his brows, his eyes travelling along her neck, down to her cleavage.

She couldn't blame him. She had expected him to be eager and there was no way she could hide her own desire for him, not that either of them had to. Moving her fingers to grab the collar of his shirt, she looked up at him from under her lashes with a hungry gaze. "Then I would love do that…" Heat rushed into her cheeks and pleasant tingles into her core at the sound of her own lascivious voice, her carnal desire for him causing a trembling sensation in her back.

He trembled beneath her touch, his body crying out at every sensation she put him in, making him feel it at least tenfold as intense as he usually did, reminding him of the years he had spent apart from her. No, there had not been any physical relief of _that_ sort in hell and the moment his body and mind became aware of the truth, Lucifer growled, his eyes flaming up, causing Chloe to blink in surprise.

"That bad?" she whispered, frowning sympathetically.

"You have no idea…" he complained with a strained voice, trying to suppress a groan, but failing miserably.

Nodding softly, she brushed her hands down his chest and to his sides where she ultimately grasped his hands. She looked at him, intently, whilst starting to pull him with her. She didn't speak or look back into the living room, she didn't even took a glimpse into her daughters room, content enough that she was hearing a soft huff and snore humming through the door.

The moment they had entered her bedroom, Lucifer closed the door behind them and twirled her around, roughly pressing her against the cool wooden surface. He pressed himself ardently against her, burying his face in her neck, drawing a sudden gasp from her. He snickered sleekily, and breathed hot air against her skin whilst dragging his teeth along the side of her neck, down to her shoulder. He felt her shudder in delight and lightly sank his teeth down into her flesh, both their groans arousing each other further.

Her breathing was ragged from excitement and desire and her hands shaky as she moved them to his shirt, quickly fumbling open the buttons to get access to the sadly missed smooth skin underneath.

"Looks like I'm not the only one being impatient…" Lucifer muttered against her skin with a sheepish smirk as he slipped his hands to her back. With his left hand, he reached for the zip and began to pull, peeling the soft fabric off her, while simultaneously slipping his right hand over the newly exposed skin of her upper back. He panted, pulling his head back to look her over, his iris' turning into molten ambers as they travelled greedily to see every inch of nudity from her, his fingers brushing the straps down her shoulders.

The rich blue material dropped to the floor in a crumbled pile, leaving Chloe only in a crimson, floral ornamented and half-see-through slip. A guttural growl rumbled from Lucifer's chest and he noticed with satisfaction Chloe's state of desperate lustful delirium. She breathed his name, half moaning, half crying, the look of his blazing eyes sending a surge through her heart and a tingling sensation directly to her core down south. He could smell, hear, taste her, and now he wanted nothing more than to finally feel her. Crashing his lips back against hers, he passionately devoured her with lips, teeth and tongue, drawing new groans and heated breaths from her whilst helping her trembling hands to rid him of his shirt and getting out of his pants.

The moment his pants joined her dress on the ground, she bit into his lower lip, sucking, and reaching past the waistband of his black boxer-briefs and… _Oh my-_ She immediately stifled the thought and let her fingers wrap around his length, drawing the most animalistic and raw reaction from Lucifer.

" _Chloeee…_ " he growled her name in a warning tone, baring his teeth at her, her lips so close to his own. His already hellfire eyes seemed to increase their burning temperature, changing its crimson into a white orange furnace of all consuming, carnal desire.

She gazed back in fascination and was utterly turned on at his reaction. Not knowing why or how, she suddenly found herself with even more boldness and put on a seductive look, glimpsing at him from under her lashes. Whilst her hand on his member tightened and slowly began to move, her free hand explored his shoulders, chest and stomach, realizing his whole physique had changed quite a bit over the time he had been gone. He was broader, more muscular, although still slender at his waist. All in all, she found her mouth watering at the thought of clawing at his skin and licking the sweat from their activities off of his well defined body.

"FUCK!" Lucifer suddenly grunted through his teeth, pulling her out of her momentary daze. He pulled away from her hands and, faster than she could fathom, he had rid himself off his last piece of clothing and picked her up. "I am not up for a damn foreplay," he growled, threw her onto the bed and crawled on top of her. With a dark grin he took a hold of her panties and sent them flying across the room.

She bit her lip, feeling a wave of excitement rushing down to her folds as she watched Lucifer loom above her like a hungry wolf, devouring her with his eyes. But she had a different plan in mind, instead of having him simply take what he wanted: She wanted to turn the tables around a little. Taking Lucifer off guard, Chloe shifted beneath him, hooked her legs around his waist and rolled him beneath her, effectively swapping positions and ending up straddling his groin, her wetness grinding along his throbbing member.

"What are you doing?" he muttered slightly irritated about the sudden change of position.

She placed her palms on his chest, lightly dragging her nails over his skin. "You didn't receive my present yet…" She watched as his Adam's apple moved in a thick, quiet gulp at her move and voice. "I think it's time I deliver… don't you think?" With a wanton look, she reached down to guide herself on him. Her free fingers curled, digging harder into his chest at the sensation of him sliding into her until he filled her just perfectly, her tightness clenching onto him in excited waves.

"Ngh… Chloe…" He panted, his hands reaching for her breast and flank, his hip automatically buckling into her. He shut his eyes with a growl, arching his back in a trembling motion. The pressure inside him was already painful. "B-bloody hell-l-l… ngh… I… I'm s-sorry Chloe… I…" He clenched his teeth together, grunting in what seemed to be anger.

Her brows narrowed at his reaction, so different from what she had expected. Why wasn't he relieved? "Is something wrong?" she softly asked, reaching up to caress his cheeks.

He shortly averted his eyes from her. "I… I'm not…" He sighed, looking up at her, nervously a flicker of shame in his expression. "I don't think I can last that long in the first round…"

Again he grumbled something under his breath, most likely frustrated words about his self control, Chloe thought as she realized why he was angry. "Shhh… don't worry, Lucifer." She smiled and leaned down, kissing him, gently at first, then with more gusto and carnality. "We have all the time in the world now that you're back." She took his face and made sure his eyes were locked with hers before she continued in a seductive whisper, "I don't mind how long you can last in the first round. I want to make you fall apart beneath me. I want you to moan my name in prayer when everything around you is disappearing and the only thing you can see and feel is me."

Her kiss and words were almost too much to handle, as if he had taken a bite from the forbidden fruit, so delicious and pleasing, but at the same time impossible for his body to deal with appropriately without falling into a state of carnal fever. He let out a ragged laugh, half relieved and amused, but also strained from the pressure of desire his body was in. His eyes were still glowing with hellfire, unable to hold them at bay. "Ugh… f-fucking heavens…" he moaned, head arching back, when he felt her move on top of him again, sending tremors through his loins.

Not a single time in his existence, had he climaxed before his partner, nor had a partner ever been persistent in pleasing him before thinking about their own needs. She surprised him again, making him experience something entirely new as she rose and sank down on him in rhythmic motions, alternating angles and speed as she payed attention to his reactions.

And all of a sudden, it _was_ too much. He arched further into the mattress, his hands slamming into the sheets, clawing into them with his knuckles turning white. She rode him harder, tightening around him as he quivered and convulsed uncontrollably beneath her. "C-Chloeee!" Just like she rode him, Lucifer was coming hard; the two years of abstinence towards any kind of physical pleasure having built up to an almost painful release. His hips ground up to meet her movements as he felt the pumping of his cock and everything around him, except for her delicate, light tanned face, became a dark blurr. He grunted and growled, moaned her name in delusional, wild prayers, cursing and worshipping, unable to have a single coherent train of thought as he thrusted to join her movements.

She groaned lecherously in response, feeling all of a sudden her own climax approaching. She rode him and with his heavy tremors and deep thrusts, quivered above him, falling over the edge right after him. Panting she slowed her moves to a lazy pace until both their bodies stopped trembling from their heights. Quietly she took in the sight of him, more than satisfied with what she had accomplished: His muscles continued twitching every now and then, his jaw tensing and relaxing from his laboured breathing. His eyes turned back to their natural brown color, and closed to half-mast as they seemed to try and find their focus again. He looked absolutely stunning and her smile turned into a grin, realizing how she had the Devil at her mercy. She carefully let him slide out, sighing at the missing sensation of him filling her. Leaning down, she slightly licked and kissed his lower lip, whispering "Merry Christmas."

He smiled, swiftly kissing her back. "Mmmm… Merry Christmas. That was quite the present, my love. Are you sure you're an angel and not a goddess?" he quipped and let out a soft laugh. He pulled her down further, letting her rest on his chest while their hearts slowed their thundering pace to a soft rhythmic thumping.

She snickered at his words and listened to his heart. A moment of calmness spread between them, both enjoying the feeling of each other. "So…" she suddenly murmured, inhaling deeply. "Did you really had your siblings fight with you in hell? Because… maybe they have reacted to me having a bit of a rant at them..."

A little bewildered at her sudden change of topic, he arched a brow at her and let out a short laugh. "Well… it seemed like something has clicked in their birdbrains... It was actually rather unexpected and this is certainly is going to change a few things…" He stared skywards, albeit the ceiling was in his way, wondering what was happening to his siblings.

It was to an extent very good to hear that her prayers, or rather accusations, towards his siblings had had an effect; a positive one even, it seemed. Stroking his chest and drawing little circles, Chloe caught the distant look of him, his little murmuring voice making her all the more suspicious about the meaning of his words. "What do you mean _it will change things_?"

"They came to the underworld to help me… by their own accord," he explained quietly, his fingers tracing along her shoulder blades in thought. "Without Dad's approval." He fell quiet again, feeling his chest tighten at the thought of what could happen to his siblings. They basically defied their Father, just like he had done all those years before. His personal punishment had been exile from heaven and his eternal reign over hell. What sort of punishment had his siblings to face if they stood before God?

"So they took their free will? They made a choice?" Chloe pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yes. It would seem so. But… I just… I don't understand why all of this happened, you know? It all feels so… odd, yet strangely connected." He sighed. "I'm sorry, if I don't make much sense…"

She leaned into his chest and placed a tender kiss above his heart, before snuggling her cheek back against him. Her mind wandered along with his, thinking of all the things that had happened over the past weeks, but then, her thoughts drifted further backwards, going back to Lucifer's own history, at least, to the parts she knew about. "Hm… I guess that would just be for your Dad to know." She felt him take a deep breath, releasing it in a frustrated sigh. "I wish I could have had more time to talk or to punch him again." She felt his body tense beneath her.

"You did _what_?" he raised his voice together with his head, glancing down at her along his nose. "Did you just say you punched _my Dad_?" He stared at her incredulously. _She isn't being serious, is she?_

"Urm… I… I… sort of? I mean he _let_ me hit him, so I guess it doesn't count as a real in-your-face-surprise punch…"

" _In his face_?!" he exclaimed, pushing them up into a sitting position. His brows seemed to dissolve in his hairline as he gaped at her in shock.

All of a sudden she wasn't so sure about, whether or not Lucifer was in positive or negative surprise about her rebellious move. After all… it was God, his father, whom she had punched. "I… I'm sorry if this-"

"Are you _kidding_ me?" he cut her off, clutching her cheeks in between his palms. "You're insane and you're absolutely _amazing_! I love you so bloody much, Chloe!" With a happy sigh, he crushed his lips against hers. Within a blur, his arms had slung around her, fingers digging into her lower back and wavy hair, letting her soak up his endless love. He could feel her relax immediately, after her surprise at his reaction had dissolved and began to taste and explore her, and let her do the same in return until she pulled away for air.

"O-oh… okay… Well it's good to know you're fine with that." She laughed and nuzzled her nose against his affectionately.

"I can't wait to have you officially as my wife, darling. You know how everyone will look at me, fuming with envy, because I have the most stunning woman walk at my side? An epiphany of beauty and perfection. It will be so damn entertaining to watch their heads turn red…" He grinned and laughed, enjoying how her cheeks blushed at his words.

"I'll be a Morningstar through and through then. Your angel… and your wife…" she smiled at the sound of that and pecked his lips. "And you, my husband: Mr. Morningstar…"

"Mmm… May I introduce my wife… Mrs. Chloe Jane Morningstar, my dazzling angel." He sheepishly ran his tongue between his teeth, the sound of her future name sounding more than thrilling. He purred, observing with sparkling eyes as she blushed a deeper shade of red at his words, with her heartbeat thundering loudly. Leaning his forehead against hers again, he took a deep breath, relishing in the moment. "Mmm... Do you know what I'd really like to do now?" he asked with a bit of a cheeky grin. Upon seeing her shake her head, he purred quietly, "Some soulbonding..." He leaned in, kissing her slightly. He brushed his fingers over her shoulders, intentionally teasing the sensitive skin and making her wiggle and suppress a moan. Of course he noticed it nonetheless. "Come on, love… Show me your wings…" he encouraged her in a low, husky voice, his eyes darkening from anticipation.

Whimpering against his lips she gingerly rolled her shoulders and released her wings from the plane of light. Unlike a month ago, the wingbones now emerged slowly and in a semi folded state, not bursting out and ruining her interior in process, but spreading backwards not sideways.

"Well _someone_ has been practicing with her wings…" Lucifer commented amused and fascinated at the same time. Reaching out, he carefully brushed along her left winbone and down into the covert of her feathers. _What an amazing sensation_ , he thought, watching as Chloe hummed contently at his touch. He took a short glimpse to his sides, gauging the space he had. It really wasn't much, certainly not enough to just spread his own wings to his sides, but he could put in some effort to not crush anything around them. Biting on his lower lip he held her eyes and carefully released his wings, letting them emerge towards Chloe's sides.

Chloe stared in awe at the sight of his shiny white wings. "And you? Let me guess, you took a dip in the ocean... Come here you..." She let her wings bend to her sides and slightly wrap around his shoulders, murmuring sweetly when in return, Lucifer's wings draped around her, effectively cocooning them in his big shimmering white feathers.

"Mmm…" Lucifer leaned into her neck, arms and wings holding her tight. Soft tremors ran through his body and wings as he relaxed in the wonderful embrace, feeling his divinity radiating and swinging along with hers. Upon shortly opening his eyes, he smiled, spotting both their shapes glowing as they had done the night before his departure. "Quite enlightening..."

"Yeah…" she breathed and kissed his temple, indulging in the feel of divine energy buzzing from within and all around them. It was soothing and she could feel the distinct warm waves that came from Lucifer. She smiled to herself, remembering him calling it soulbonding, but it truly felt like he had described it. He had filled a part inside her that made her feel complete and in absolute bliss. And with a bit of pride and selfishness of her own, she had to admit, she wanted him to be hers, just as much as he wanted her to be his. To show their bond to the world, to heaven and hell.

With another humm Lucifer pulled away a little, a smug grin on his lips. Slowly the intense glow of them both decreased until only the natural soft shimmer of their wings remained. "Now, did you say, you'd be up for round two?" He snickered and nuzzled his nose against hers, purring in a dark tone, "Because _I_ certainly am." Letting out a light, playful growl, he pulled her hips harder against his, giving her proof of his readiness, before rolling her beneath him in a tangle of limbs and feathers. "Hmmm… Christmas is _hardly_ over yet, darling…"

* * *

 **A/N: Here we are! You made it through this really long chapter and all its feels! Did you like it? Was it too much? I might have gotten carried away a little. But really... family time is important :)**

 **I am very curious of your feedback on this chapter. Good, bad, questions, ideas, etc. I am all up for it! The journey of this story is almost over and I am SO super excited to share the last chapter with you soon. I want to do it to give some closure on a few things. It's also, in a way, rather philosophical, but you will see. Anyhow, leave me a comment, I am curious what you think.**

 **Epilogue / Final chapter: planned for Saturday 4th May!**


	33. Follow Me (Epilogue)

**A/N: Welcome my lovely readers, welcome to the very last chapter of this story. You cannot imagine what an amazing experience it has been. I still have trouble to fathom it. You all have been so kind, understanding and wonderfully supportive. You spurred me on, inspired me, uplifted my spirits and made me laugh pretty much with every sweet comment you've made. What a fantastic journey! I am honored, that you joined me on this crazy rollercoaster ride, followed this story along, have swooned and feared over and for our beloved characters as well as a few new ones.**

 **This chapter might feel slightly detached from the rest of the story, as the overall plot is finished. It is there, because I wanted to give you and also our Devil some closure on certain things. I cannot get more specific on it really, otherwise I'd spoiler you. Unfortunately, I release the chapter without it having been beta-ed so far. I will update it, once it has been, so please be aware there are probably some mistakes in spelling an sentence structure. I hope you forgive me for that and that it doesn't diminish your reading experience. On another note, this chapter was a bit more difficult to write. It's very emotional in what is happening and I hope you all can delve into the character's experiences. It is deep and, as I have mentioned before, also quite philosophical. It puts things into perspective. It is supposed to answer questions and let new ones emerge so that you have something to think about once you finished this story. More notes concerning the content, will be put at the end of the chapter.**

 **Now relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the read. (And don't forget to listen to the song!)**

 **Chapter Title/Song: Follow Me –** **Tommee Profitt [feat. Ruelle]**

* * *

Chapter 33 

Follow Me

[A few days later]

"Did… did you never even try it?" she asked, watching him move closer to the handrail.

Thinking for a moment he shook his head. "I… I thought about it. Several times. When I landed in hell and was alone and… terrified. I was calling for my siblings and my parents, but… I couldn't find the strength and confidence to try. I imagined how they would react, if I actually made it. Those reactions weren't very pleasant though." He rested his head in his neck, eyes wandering over the big black canopy sprinkled with his stars. "What about your spawn?" he asked, switching the topic without a further word. He briefly emptied his drink and put the empty glass on his small glass table, before staring back into the nights sky.

"Maze and her are teaching Cerberus how to do advanced ninja moves. I think that includes for Trixie riding on his back…" Chloe answered with a soft snicker at seeing him let out a soft scoffing laugh. However, the small moment of amusement was quickly replaced with silence and tension again.

He finally looked over at her and searched her eyes for anything to either help him or to show him that she was as worried as he was. But Chloe looked rather fine, which was even more unnerving for him. "Are you really sure you want to try this?" he asked nervously, licking his lips for the umpteenth time.

"I am." She nodded, taking his hands into hers. The busy streets of LA at night time seemed far away from the height of Lucifer's balcony and a cool breeze managed to carry a hint of salt from the ocean towards them, making them booth take a deep, cleansing breath. "What about _you_ , though?"

He shifted from foot to foot, as both their wings softly waved from the breeze. Despite the calm of the night, a whirlwind was unfolding inside Lucifer, and a worried frown on his forehead appeared in response to her. "Well I… I have to." he muttered with a pretended casual shrug, trying to cover his nervosity with a facade of smugness. "I've always been the person to at least give it a try. Plus, I can't have you go there and make me look like a loser, obviously, can I?"

She smiled, knowing perfectly well how insecure he felt about their endeavour. "You'll be fine, trust me."

"How can you be so sure? I mean… for all I know, I could get stuck in nothingness or… I dunno… smash against the barrier like a bloody fly against a window, and I'm damn sure Dad would laugh his freaking, shiny arse off if that were to happen!"

Chloe held a snicker at his epically exaggerated fail-attempts and instead rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a baby! I've never ever done this before, unlike you, and I'm hardly afraid to get stuck somewhere or smash against anything."

"Didn't you listen to what I just said? The void is not _somewhere_. It's _nothingness_ , Chloe." he muttered grumpily.

He was stalling and they both knew it. She was also well aware that the travel wasn't what truly worried him, but rather the encounter he was seeking. "So what? Is this a yes or a no? Baby or Lucifer Morningstar?" she teased with a smug grin, squeezing his hands in support.

"Oh… please don't say it like _that_ …" Sighing he nodded eventually. "Alright. Fine! Like I said… I'm not going to be one to chicken out…" _Oh deary me… this is… this is quite the biggie. Maybe I should be drunk for this? Or stoned? Yeah, stoned sounds fun… Although I suppose Dad would just snap a finger and make me sober again… Freaking buzzkill..._

"Okay, good. So then tell me what we have to do, please." she urged him with a gentle tone, caressing her thumbs over the back of his hands, not giving him more time to ponder.

"Right, yes, so… I guess it's easiest if you close your eyes and just focus on the feeling of where you want to go." he explained, his own wings tensing as they spread along with hers. As he saw her confused look, he continued, "You can feel it… hear it even. It's like soft, far away, little bells in the back of your head."

Her eyes shot opened and for a moment she stared back at him surprised, before a warm smile spread on her lips.

He arched a brow in curiosity, tilting his head. "What?"

"I felt this before… when you prayed to me, when you were testing if it would work… I heard these bells… I _felt_ that ringing." She closed her eyes again and composed herself focusing on the feeling he had described. Only a few moments later, she exhaled relaxed, feeling the soft heavenly vibes rush through her mind. "Okay… What's next?"

It wasn't really much of a surprise to him, that she had heard the connection to heaven, but at the same time he did feel strangely joyful, that his prayers had evoked the feeling inside her. "Next, you hold on tight, and push yourself off, aiming towards that feeling as if it is leading your direction. It's a bit like taking a dive. When you break through the water surface on your way in and out. When you feel you break through the surface a second time, you've arrived."

"Alright." She couldn't help the excited nod and smile, taking another few calming breaths as she continued to focus. "I'm ready. Are you?" she asked with a small voice and squeezed his hands.

"Yes. With you at my side… always." He squeezed her hands in return and closed his eyes, reaching out to a feeling he had kept locked away for millennia. A feeling, his connection, towards heaven. He tensed his muscles as he felt the rush, the soft ringing and vibes surging through him. "Let's push off together. One, two… three."

* * *

They arrived with a smashing thunder. The moment, he felt a different kind of ground beneath his feet, he knew they had arrived. It was the very distinct holy and divine humming which was now pulsing all around him, that made his heart pound madly in his chest, to the point where he wondered if he was about to faint right here on the spot. He swallowed thickly, his eyes tightly shut, his hands clutching Chloe's in a desperate grasp. All of a sudden he felt small and very insecure. Had this been a good idea?

The feeling was overwhelming, something she couldn't compare with anything she had ever experienced. Excitedly she opened her eyes and stared deadpanned at all the people surrounding them, all of them having differently shaped and colored, feathery wings sprouting from their backs. They were wearing white tunics and robes, decorated with golden and silver ornaments and strange runic symbols. Everyone seemed to be tensed, their expressions varying between surprise, curiosity, awe, fright and suspicion.

A few of them, three she could spot right away, stood more on edge than the others. They were clothed in magnificent armour and had long, shimmering spears in their hands at the ready. They were observing, gauging the situation as if to determine whether they were friend of foe. _Holy shit…_ "Lucifer…" she whispered, looking back at him. She immediately knew he was momentarily frozen, overwhelmed from the situation. _Yes… he's aware where we are._ "Lucifer…" she spoke again in a gentle tone, her thumbs caressing the back of his hands once again. "Hey… I… I need you here with me…" she lightly shook his hands, urging him to be strong. "Look at me."

He sucked in a trembling breath. The gentle touch of her was soothing and so were her words, although she asked for his help. She needed him. She needed him to be strong for her, because this was _her_ first time, not his, even though his last visit dated back quite a long time. And she trusted in him. Not only that, she also trusted him to be brave and do this in the first place. Slowly he opened his eyes, looking down into her wide, warm eyes. In his peripheral view, he could see shapes and as he lowered to look at the ground beneath them, he noticed it was shining, white and laced with something like crystals shimmering from within. _Ah yes, I remember being dragged over that hard surface…_

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he blinked several times and carefully turned his head, further taking in his surrounding. "Bloody h-" He cut himself off, biting on his tongue. "What?" he asked quietly, looking from one of his heavenly siblings to the next. Their stares were unnerving. Intimidating almost. But aside from them exchanging glances with each other, none of them responded, or made a move. They seemed undecided and on edge. And Lucifer hated that they didn't really do anything aside from staring. "WHAT?!" he bellowed at them, his body and wings tensing. _That_ earned him reactions.

His siblings averted their eyes, some shying away, some seeming to cower. Those with armour and spears however, began to close in on them, their wings outstretched, expressions grim.

"Lucifer!" one of them barked in a deep voice, "How did YOU slither your way back into Father's holy realm?!" The disdain from him was clearly audible, dripping from every word he spoke.

"Well, well! So lovely to see you, too, Cassiel. Apparently the gates aren't closed for me anymore, so… here I am." Lucifer mocked back, moving his hands to slip around Chloe's waist, holding her close.

Cassiel pointed the tip at him threateningly, unimpressed by Lucifer's remark. "You're tainting this place with your presence, Devil! Get back to the pits of hell where Father sent you to. That's where you belong!"

He felt Chloe's body trembling along with his own, knowing immediately that she was about to respond. Quickly he gave her body a soft squeeze. "Don't," he muttered lowly through gritted teeth. "That would be a waste of energy." He wasn't looking for a fight, even though the approach of his sibling caused a burning heat of anger boil up inside him. Of course his siblings would treat him as scum. _But not all of them_ , he thought, remembering Azrael's and Raguel's words. They had told him how there were changes going on amongst the angels. How they were starting to discuss free will, choice and Lucifer's actions as of late. When he glanced at the other angels surrounding them, he was astonished to see several of his brethren glare at Cassiel in return, stepping forward and into his way.

"That's not fair, Cassiel! You have seen how he saved humanity!" suddenly another angel from the bystanders shouted at Cassiel, straightening up bravely against the heavenly weapon. Lucifer took in his soft shape, recognizing him to be Omniel, an angel who had been put into existence when life on earth had been created.

A second angel, Midael, Lucifer recalled, joined Omniel in the archangel's defense. "Not only humanity, but earth, heaven and hell alike! He risked his life multiple times and has endured unspeakable amounts of pain. And let's not forget to mention how he's inspiring us all!"

"Inspiring?" Cassiel barked back condescendingly, "You mean how his blasphemous words about _free will_ and _choice_ have slowly drenched into your minds, tainting them like an infection? You are playing with fire, brothers and sisters, all of you!" he hissed at the angels surrounding him. "A blazing fire you will most certainly get burned and destroyed by." With an angry growl he lowered his weapon.

"That we shall see, Cassiel. If this was all against Father's intentions, we surely would know by now, don't you think? The way I see it, Lucifer deserves our deepest respect." Midael spoke with a little smirk, before turning to Lucifer. "I trust you're here to speak to Him, brother?"

 _Yeah… there certainly is a change happening in heaven, it seems…_ Lucifer thought, staring at his siblings in wonder as he felt his heart aching, like it so often did when he was around Chloe and her sweet, little spawn. They were truly standing up to him, supporting him, defending him even. Midael had been the leader of an army that had fought against him during the rebellion, but now… he seemed to have changed his perspective quite a bit. "I erm..., I..." Lucifer stuttered, composing and pulling himself together, straightening up with a deep breath. "Yes, that's why I'm here, plus to give my love a wingman on her test-flight to the Silver City." He smiled and gave Chloe a tender kiss, deliberately and proudly displaying their connection.

She smiled, giving him a knowing look and turned her attention back on the helpful sibling. "Where is He?"

"His presence is sojourning over in the Grand Tower with the bulbous spire, as always." Midael explained, pointing towards the tower in the distant, sticking out from the mass of other, smaller towers, archways and bridges.

It was just now that Chloe took a real look around, to take in the sight of the Silver City. It was marvelous, and even though she had figured it would be breathtaking, she still felt utterly amazed. Countless shimmering silver towers in a mixture of soft and edgy shapes spread around them. Some towers connected through the help of curved bridges. As she focused her eyes on what seemed to be windows, Chloe blinked in surprise at the witnessing of shapes jumping through them, only to take flight with their wings and aim to another tower's window. She remembered her rather short visit in heaven, when she had been not-really-dead. Of course angels wouldn't really need doors or windows, she figured with a light smile tugging on her lips.

"Very well… Thank you for your… support." Lucifer's voice rang softly, pulling her out of her thoughts. "We'll be on our way then. No need to lead the way for us. It was my pleasure."

"You're welcome, Lucifer. And I really _mean_ that. I do not believe you could be here, if Father wouldn't deem you welcome. Perhaps… he isn't even the one making that decision..."

Offering a short acknowledging nod, Lucifer took flight with Chloe, leading the way to the Grand Tower. It was a fascinating feeling to fly through the Silver City. The physics didn't feel the same here than on earth. Heaven made every movement feel so much lighter, smoother and overall more graceful. Lucifer glided through the air with a feeling of long forgotten joy, remembering the times he used to play catch with his siblings when they were taking breaks from their duties, or in Lucifer's case, whenever he wanted and felt brave enough to face his angry Father's judgement soon after his defiance.

And now? Now he was on his way to meet his Father again, after millennia of pain, suffering, solitude, despair, shame, anger and biblical slander. After having gone through and endured literally hell, in more ways than he could count. After being made responsible for all the evil in the world for eons. After having killed both an angelic brother and a human. But... also… after having fallen in love with Chloe, God's miracle and Lucifer's way to not only find himself, but to also find a _home_ along with her.

What was it exactly that he wanted from God? An apology? That wasn't necessary. A pat on the shoulder and a 'well done, son.'? He could live without it. The far too late fatherly love? Absolutely not. An explanation to all his ordeals, to everything that had happened? He doubted he would get any… but still he couldn't help thinking about it.

So here he was, going to see Him, to once and for all clear things up between them. He was tired of wondering, annoyed from guessing, and angry at attempting and constantly failing to understand His ways. He's had enough. Either he would get answers or not. And if not, he'd know better than to further spend any thought on his Father whatsoever.

Reaching the Grand Tower, Lucifer took in a shark breath, focusing back on their surrounding. Big, elliptical balconies were attached to the various floors and archways of the majestic tower, with a particularly decorated one on the very top floor on which they smoothly landed on, also, with grace.

"Wow…" Chloe breathed next to him as she looked around, her eyes absorbing the countless glistening paths, bridges in all kinds of shapes and buildings that rather reminded her of castles. "It… it really _is_ quite the sight…"

A small smile tugged at his lips, but didn't fully reach his eyes. "Yes… it is." He could understand her excitement, the rush and awe that truly being in heaven was making you feel. It was ironically not only overwhelming for her, but for him as well. Albeit the positive thrill was drenched and drowned from rather negative memories of his time in heaven. "Alright then. Let's get on with it, shall we?" he mumbled with a huff, wings relaxing behind him. Holding out his hand, Chloe firmly took it, her own wings arching backwards in a semi-spread state, giving them both enough space to easily enter through the archway window into the top floor of the tower.

The moment they stepped inside, Chloe instantly recalled the white-crystalline translucent marble-like floor from her short stay not even a week ago. Looking up and around, she froze at the sight of a massive light source hovering above a golden chair, which was adorned with fine curved and swirled ornaments and rich, red velvet padding.

Lucifer followed her line of sight and froze upon seeing Him, his expression tensing, but only for a brief moment. It was His presence that felt almost too much to handle, pulsing waves of galactic energies that were meddling with everything around Him. Being aware of His power always made everyone else feel… less. Small. Insignificant. And only when He truly wanted it, He let others be at ease with His presence as to not crush them. Lucifer _knew_ this. He knew it very well. Taking a deep breath, he let the tension flow out of his limbs, muscles relaxing, his eyes glaring sternly. "Hello, Dad."

Sending soft vibrations through the air, the light pulsated, seeming to expand and contract, almost as if it was breathing. Then it shifted, warping, getting bigger, intensifying to an almost painful white before fading and transforming into the shape of a well known person. "Hello, son." God's voice rang calmly.

"Earl Johnson? _Really_?" Lucifer mocked with a raised brow, pointing at his Father's choice of display.

"You know that it's just for the more relatable gestures and expressions you are used to." He reminded him with a resting smile, his eyes wandering to his companion. "Hello, Chloe. It's nice to see you again." He turned his attention back to Lucifer, tilting His head. "Both of you."

"You know why I am here." Lucifer said, his words not even formed as a question, but statement, well aware of his Father's omniscience.

Taking a deep breath, God took in Lucifer's expression and presence, thoroughly enjoying his son being with Him, even though He didn't let an ounce of His joy radiate off of Him. No one knew what God was thinking. What He was feeling. What He wanted. Or why. But that was about to change. "I do." He responded calmly, nodding once. A moment of silence spread between them and He could see His son becoming impatient already. "You've come a long way. Ask your questions. Of course not for me, but for her. Just to be respectful."

Chloe observed God and Lucifer, father and son, feeling the slight nervousness coming from Lucifer. It didn't truly show, nor could she somehow pick up tremors or anything from his body lightly touching her side, but she could feel it through the bond they shared. She felt it inside her soul and simply _knew_ it.

He huffed and licked his lips. "Very well." Glancing to Chloe briefly, he then gazed back into his Father's eyes, observant to watch out for the smallest fraction of something that could tell him more information. "Why did You let the things happen the way they did? And why didn't You show any sort of-" He swallowed, "any sort of empathy towards me? I'm aware, that things lead to one another. Me talking to Gadreel at the gates of Eden, Eve, the rebellion, hell… just-" He inhaled sharply, fingers curling to fits, his jaw tensing.

"You wish to know why all these things had to happen..." God repeated while nodding and walking closer until He stood in arms reach to Lucifer. "That's quite a lot of information to take in, son… and it all certainly doesn't begin with you talking to Gadreel."

"It… it doesn't?" Lucifer's brows twitched and narrowed in irritation. "But… I haven't spoken to any other of my siblings before about free will… He was the first with whom I've talked about it..."

But God didn't elaborate the meaning of his words further. "I let you know right away, son: I will not _tell_ you _anything_ because… well… it would take far too long and I know you would rather want to be elsewhere." Upon seeing Lucifer take a breath, ready to argue, He held up a finger, making him wait. "However, that doesn't mean I won't _let you know_. I'll just use a quicker method than talking. But… I want to warn you, even though I know you'll curse, no matter what. Getting to know all of this and why I didn't show you what you wanted… will be quite overwhelming."

"I don't care about that. I want to know. I have the _right_ to know." Lucifer muttered, his voice strained from the inner turmoil he felt. He watched his Father making a step further, feeling His divinity, His endless power, pulsing against him. When God slowly raised His right hand towards his temple, Lucifer took another deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Yes you have the right to know. And now... you're also _ready_ to know, son."

The moment God touched him, the world around him and the construction of thoughts inside his mind, were yanked out of their constraints and turned upside down. While Lucifer's body was trembling in God's throne room, his mind was elsewhere.

Somewhere and sometime else.

* * *

It was as if a mixture of emotions, memories and detached images were having a rave party while on a LSD trip. Everything was intensified and felt so much more _real_. It was ironic, because it didn't adulterate the real events of the past God showed him. It was simply the truth shown to him from all angles available.

It all started with Lucifer's creation. He could see and feel himself coming to existence. Could feel the warmth of his own creation, as immeasurable amounts of divinity were put together, concentrated and contained into an angelic shape, finally floating in between his parents. Pusling, soothing waves washed over him and he realized that everything was _right_. He was loved. Wanted.

And he was _planned_.

It was not a new train of thought for Lucifer to digest, but the _extent_ to which his own creation had been planned, was completely taking him off guard. Again he could see and feel everything such as his Father's presence, and that his whole character had been planned and constructed with _purpose_. All of his strengths and weaknesses, his likes and dislikes, his behavioral traits and specifics were set together and activated, or rather, put into existence.

 _Planned. My whole existence has been planned..._ This revelation was opening a door in Lucifer's mind that he had never seen before. Inside, he found himself, but not as if he was looking into a mirror. He was staring at sheets of papers that had all kinds of characteristics about him written down on them.

His construction plans.

He scanned the words, feeling his body trembling from the impact of emotions that came with this realization of, bloody hell, yes, his Father _wanted_ him to be _exactly_ how he was, including every behavioral aspect that lead to Lucifer rebelling and ultimately being cast out of heaven. He sobbed the moment he spotted a sheet with two words written on it in capital letters.

 _FREE WILL_.

 _Free will? I thought I had to fight to acquire it… Demand it. Have I… Have I been created with it in the first place?,_ he asked himself, and immediately heard his Father answering _Yes_. He stumbled over his own feet, his chest aching, throat tightening, but he continued looking around, examining more notes, unable to stop taking in the information his Father showed him and made him feel.

 _Curiosity_.

 _Willpower_.

 _Passion_.

To his left were more notes and he felt God weaving His own emotions into the scenery, making Lucifer understand that these notes were things God had needed to do. With shaking fingers Lucifer took the paper and read.

 _Intimidate him._

 _Scold him for using his abilities._

 _Not grant him what he seeks._

 _Belittle him._

 _Show a lack of interest._

 _Make him question himself._

 _Make him question Me._

 _Make him fight for everything._

 _Make him lose everything._

 _Make him hate Me._

 _Punish him._

 _Cast him out._

 _Why?_ , Lucifer asked, tears streaming down his face as he shook the paper in his hand. _WHY did you have to be like this to me!?_

But God went on with His implantation of memories, flooding Lucifer with emotions and knowledge of Him, that he had trouble swallowing. His Father showed him a connection between him and the freshly created humanity, with their first two specimen residing on earth. A connection, that shattered him to the core.

 _You had to exist first, son, and humanity followed your design, your making. I didn't create humanity in_ my _image. What a shallow idea_ , God rang inside his mind, laughing. _I created them in_ yours _._

 _W-what?,_ Lucifer's voice echoed. _You… you made them in_ my _image? But how is that… how is that making sense…?_

 _I made you perfect, son._

 _Perfect?!_ Lucifer exclaimed, fresh tears spilling into the nothingness that surrounded them. _You SHATTERED me! How can you say you made me perfect!?_

 _You_ are _perfect, son. Your definition of it is a different one though. In your terms, you are perfectly imperfect. You have both, the skillset and character traits that were important for the human development to progress as it was necessary. You harbor the strengths and also the weaknesses that humans needed to evolve, to progress and become better. You never give up. You don't bow to anyone. You're curious, you enjoy life to its fullest and you have a good heart._

Panting, he stumbled, fresh sobs and tears escaping him. _But… I thought… You… You were always angry with me… for asking about free will, for questioning You, defying You, and for not loving THEM more than YOU. You always rejected me… And You WANTED this? How can You say those things about me, when You never showed me any kind of empathy?!_

God's emotions and voice were washing through him with intensity again. _You were created with all the things you had to have, yet, there were things that needed to evolve inside of you over time. And this progress needed to be triggered. I needed for you to break free from Me, son. You had to question Me enough to rebel, so that I would cast you out. And I had for you to hate Me, so that you would not stay stuck. It drove you forward, that anger, the hatred towards Me. It made you react, made you develop until you eventually left hell to walk on earth. To become… more. Become your own man. While walking among those created in your image, without even knowing it. Ironic, I am aware. You were learning more from them, than I could have ever taught you, because your character simply wouldn't allow it._

For a moment God paused, His feelings gathering in a pool and crushing in against Lucifer. _You think I felt anger towards you, or maybe even nothing when I treated you the way I did, but that is not the case, son. I always loved you… I knew what greatness would come from you and I was proud of your actions before you even made them, but that didn't diminish My feelings of anguish and sadness when having to threat you the way I did… the way I had to. It was all so you would be truly free. Free from Me…_

He felt like his body couldn't properly breathe physically. But also the inside of him was suffocating from pressure that was tearing him apart. _Let me go…_ Lucifer grunted and sobbed from exhaustion. _Get out of my head! Let me go!_

 _Not yet_ , God replied with a soothing voice, _Let's go to Eden._

Once more his surrounding shifted and he watched the events of his past unfold in front of him. His talk about free will with his brother Gadreel had merely taken a few minutes and yet, it had such grave consequences. Lucifer stared as God provided him with the insight on what was happening in Gadreel's mind, the seed of resistance and yearn for self-fulfillment striking roots. Gadreel's mind tried to process the idea of free will over time, but soon Lucifer could see he wasn't ready for it. The idea of breaking free of any heavenly bindings, were stirring emotions inside of Gadreel he had trouble controlling, eventually resulting in the rise of anger, turning into hatred and propensity towards violence, pushing aside any fear for collateral damage in his way.

 _I know that it's my fault Gadreel snapped, that he attacked and killed many of my siblings... Why show this to me!?_ Lucifer muttered through clenched teeth, his eyes burning and already red-rimmed. Instead of an answer, God let His pictures, thoughts and emotions from the past rush into him. But they had nothing to do with Gadreel, but rather his other siblings. The seed, the thought of free will, was planted in the minds of his siblings. Some understood the idea during the time of the rebellion, others after Lucifer's fall. Some didn't truly understand its concept at all, that with free will, you had a full bandwidth of emotions and consequences as well as their responsibilities attached to it. Many of his siblings began to deeply ponder on the topic.

 _Uriel and Gadreel… they both couldn't handle free will, son. Amenadiel had his issues as well, as you remember…_

 _Amenadiel was being a prick to me, using humans, changing their fate, messing with the natural balance…_

 _Precisely. He acted, and couldn't deal with the consequences of his actions, therefor, he didn't feel he deserved his powers and wings anymore. You said it yourself to Chloe a while ago. It all comes down to free will in the end._

Lucifer frowned, thinking back to moments before when he had seen the concept pages of his own creation. _Free will. You had set it inside of me from the moment of my creation. What about Gadreel? Amenadiel? Azrael? Zuriel? And all the others? Does that mean you created them with it as well?_

God nodded. _I did_.

He exhaled sharply. _So you haven't told us the truth. You kept us in the dark, letting us think that we had no free will, no choices. You had me be the one to… to set the whole bloody topic in motion?! It was because of my actions that now they have realized that... That they were already free? That they were never bound in the first place?_

 _Yes to all of these questions. Look. You are all different from each other, son. But you also have this trait in common. Your siblings cope with free will each in their own way. They process and try out things in a different pace, because they are not like you. They will take longer to get anywhere near the reach of understanding you have on that matter. But that is just fine. They have good intentions and are trying to become better. You know, right now, many of your siblings look up to you as their inspiration. They try to learn from you and are making their own experiences. Just like Azrael, Raguel and all the others who came to fight with you in hell. Or just moments ago, Midael and Omniel who defended your right to be in the Silver City and praised your actions._

The weight and impact of one realization after another, forced Lucifer onto his knees, both inside his mind as well as in the Grand Tower of the Silver City. God however, did not cease his knowledge transfer into him.

 _Eve,_ He spoke and Lucifer shivered.

 _No…_ Lucifer panted, fingers curling and digging into the nothingness they were surrounded by, only to find the ground beneath him shifting and transforming into thick earth and rich green grass. The scent of fruits and spring water filled his nostrils and he let out a shaky breath, knowing immediately he was inside Eden. _Dad, please..._

 _You plucked the fruit and offered it to her,_ God quietly stated. _You gave her a choice and showed her that she possessed free will. You didn't realize though how her taking the fruit from you set something in motion. Yes you brought sin to this world, but you also made humanity become free thinkers. And yet… with all the good that it generated, also came the bad. Just like some of your siblings couldn't handle the extent of free will and became corrupt, so did Eve. Slowly at first._ God inhaled deeply and let out a quiet, sad sigh, not continuing the details on what happened. Lucifer remembered clearly. _You were so young… so naive… I'm truly sorry for what you went through because of what happened to her. Even though technically it is all your doing. But as you've seen by now… it was all necessary._

 _How was what she did to me necessary!?_ Lucifer gritted his teeth, hesitantly glancing up to find his younger self lying beneath the tree of knowledge. Samael. He laid with his wings outstretched, eyes staring, intrigued, curious. His features were the same overall, but he looked younger, more innocent and yes, naive. He was dressed in his usual heavenly white robe. The fabric had two rows of golden ornaments and enochian runes decorating the hem around his sleeves. His belt that was usually wrinkling the robe, now laid next to him in the grass. Long, dark tousled hair fell down on his face, as a soft tanned, delicately curved shape climbed on top of him, pushing his robe away, so that skin touched skin. Lucifer averted his eyes with a huff, not wanted to see and feel again these moments of his past.

 _Because you had to feel hurt, in order to feel what it's like to heal and become whole. You needed to feel the deceit, the emotional abuse, to understand the difference between that and true love. There is no way, words can teach you what love is. You have to experience it._

 _Chloe…_ he breathed, his heart aching. _You really made her for me?_

 _Of course._ God walked to his side, gently placing His hand on Lucifer's shoulder. _But before she could walk into your life, you had to go through hell. I know this won't soothe your anger towards Me much, but still, I wish for you to know how much it hurt Me, to see you suffer. I know hell was like a prison to you._

 _Not LIKE, Dad! It WAS a prison!_ Lucifer commented roughly, shaking his Father's hand off.

 _No it wasn't. It was the freedom you sought. Away from Me. You had your own realm. You could do whatever you pleased. You could even shape your surrounding to your liking._ When Lucifer quietly shook his head, God continued, observing His son attentively. _It wasn't a prison, son. It was your free will which kept you in hell. Your guilt. The consequences and responsibilities of your actions that weighted you down and kept punishing you. You tortured yourself, son. Until your willpower and anger towards Me made you stand up and simply leave. You did this all on your own. All I did, was create you with your skillset and characteristics and gave you a nudge so you'd walk on your own feet, to become the free man you were made to be. You made your own decision, finally brave enough to step out of your own punishment, to try and get rid of the guilt you felt._

Lucifer's surrounding changed again, the grass beneath him disappearing and changing into what he immediately recognized to be the Italian black marble floor of his penthouse. He looked around, spotting at least a dozen people, women and men, wearing nothing more than various kinds of kinky equipment to increase the carnal pleasure that took place pretty much every single day in these rooms. He spotted himself, disheveled and high on drugs, emerging from a pile of nude, sweaty limbs, and turning towards a smirking brunette. He moaned and growled all kinds of lewd things into her ear while making her bend over and taking her skillfully from one height to the next, until she couldn't walk anymore. Although seeing that he was truly pleasing all of his sexual partners and enjoying doing so, Lucifer felt that it might have been, in part, what he desired at that moment, but not what he truly _wanted_ and _needed_. Because _this_ was meaningless. And he desperately sought meaning.

Turning to his side, Lucifer saw his Father opening up another memory, letting both run simultaneously. It was also his penthouse, but it was cleaned up, no stranger's bodies lazily lying around, waiting for yet another climax to be brought to them by the Devil himself. No. The only people he could make out were Chloe and himself. And he could remember and re-feel his emotions from the moment he observed unfolding in front of him. He watched, as he carried her to his bed, their heated bodies already crying out to feel each other, _finally_. The longing to become one with her had been driving him mad. A desire like none he had felt before and only she had been able to fulfill. Not just through the union of their bodies, but with her very being opening up to him, allowing him to drown in her ocean blue eyes and suffocate the sweetest way, while kissing her with every ounce of devotion he felt for her, unwilling to break apart and let the moment end.

The comparison of both scenes in front of him hit him like a truck. It wasn't that he didn't know about the difference of these times before, but he hadn't ever truly been able to compare the two experiences on a detailed emotional level. Now the feelings were injected into him from left and right and his mind and heart created a detailed comparison, letting him once again feel the devastation of how he had truly felt before having met Chloe. _Dad... Please…_ Lucifer whispered, panting, the pressure in his chest unbearable. He needed to see her again. Feel her. Talk to her. The understanding of what she truly meant for him, was almost impossible to describe in his own mind. It was all a frantic mix of feelings, images, experiences, smells, sounds, touches, looks and tastes.

 _In a moment, son._ God softly spoke and helped him up on his feet. _What does she mean to you?_ He picked up on his son's thoughts.

Swallowing Lucifer looked at him, feeling drained, shaken and dizzy. But there was also a warmth spreading inside him. One he always felt with Chloe on his mind or being close to him. _Redemption._ He answered quietly. After a short pause, he added, _But she's not The Redemption itself. She's more like… my guide for it. She doesn't tell me where to go, but shows me all my options. And… she's with me all the way._

 _Yes…_ God smiled at him and nodded. _Son, you and Chloe, as all of my other creations, are free. Stop worrying about me meddling with your life or Chloe's. I won't stand in between you and her. I want you both to be happy, and feel this from me: I am_ so _proud of you, my son._ He let out a soft laugh. _You truly are a Lightbringer in every way possible, and I love you very so much._

With another wave, he felt God's emotions sink into him, showing him His sincerity, before the nothingness around them faded into a soothing white noise.

"Lucifer?" Chloe's voice rang gently to his right, a soft brush over his cheek making him flutter his eyes open. "Hey…. Are you alright?"

The force of the unspeakable weight of the combined emotions and memories of himself and his Father, as well as the display of all the consequences and realizations of his life, hit him like a planet, and all it took was a few seconds. He had trouble breathing, the oxygen knocked right out of his lungs. His stomach ached, his guts clenching and turning from the whirlwind of emotions his body tried to digest.

"Ugh… FOR FUCKS SAKE!" he grunted, stumbling sideways and feeling Chloe swiftly pushing against him to hold him upright.

God made a few steps back, hands folding behind his back as he arched a brow unfazed. "I told you, you would curse, no matter what."

Taking deep breaths, Lucifer bent forward, palms resting against his knees, thankful for Chloe's support. "You called it _overwhelming_! That was a bit of an understatement, Dad!" he groused at Him, trying to calm his shaking body and strained mind.

Chloe looked him over worriedly, hands going from his upper arm where she steadied him, to his cheeks again, making him look at her. His lower lip trembled, eyes red rimmed and shifting until eventually they found their focus on her. Tenderly she brushed her thumbs over his stubble, holding his gaze steadily and giving him the time he needed to compose himself.

After a minute, he carefully straightened up, took her hands gently into his and offered her a warm smile. "Thank you, love." Then he slowly turned back to his Father. "You didn't show me anything concerning Chloe's change. No thoughts from You, no emotions. You showed me everything else. Why not about this recent incident?" he pensively asked, brows curling into a frown.

"Because that's all I can show you for now, son." He paused, eying them for a brief moment, taking in his son's disappointed vibes at His response and then smiled at him contently. "All I can tell you is, you both will be fine with everything that will be coming your way. " His lips stretched even wider into a fully bright smile, knowingly. "You should return home now. Cerberus just made a mess out of your living room, with your daughter playing 'War in hell' with him. She threw her old stuffed toys through the air and told him they were demons he should eliminate…" God let out an amused laugh and shrugged, "which he _did_."

Chloe's brows shot up, almost dissolving into her hairline as she gaped at God in shock, only to be pulled out by a single, short giggle from her left. Turning with a glare at Lucifer, she saw him quickly raising his hands in defense, and biting onto his lip to refrain from bursting into laughter. Apparently her little girl did have a change of thought on making drawings about Lucifer's stories from hell and instead rather reenacted them with Cerberus and Maze, her new beloved hellhound and demon friend.

"Well she sure as hell learns her way with Cerberus." Lucifer commented tongue in cheek, but upon seeing her look waver with a hint of insecurity, he harrumphed and nodded, expression turning serious again. "We head back, no worries, dear." Turning to his Father once more, Lucifer swallowed thickly. "You saved him…Cerberus, didn't You?"

God's eyes softened as He looked back at him, nodding. "He deserves his retirement among people who love him... Although no matter what, he won't stop protecting your family." There was a small shift in God's glance, a knowing look that a mere blink of an eye made impossible to notice, and He knew they hadn't noticed. "I wish you all the best."

Lucifer didn't answer. He didn't have to, nor did he feel able to. But he knew his Father would pick up on his thoughts and emotions, which was enough for him. He was thankful, for several things his Father had put into motion, but they didn't erase the negative experiences he had made and they both were aware of this. As his thoughts rushed through him, he saw his Father's eyes lower while He nodded with a hint of sadness which He allowed to show through His composed human facade. Silently, Lucifer turned to Chloe and signaled her, with a thin lipped smile and nod, that he was ready to leave.

With a bit of insecurity about what had happened between Lucifer and God, Chloe uttered a quiet "Thank You…" and gently tightened her hold onto Lucifer's hand, while slowly pulling him along as she walked towards the balcony. She knew Lucifer would sum up for her at another time, what had happened when God touched him. For now she was grateful that whatever it was, seemed to at least not have hardened the fronts between them. Perhaps there had even been some form of mutual agreement and understanding between them.

"Oh and...son?" God called after them, watching them stop momentarily and Lucifer turning his head halfway to Him. "Not that you would need it, but you certainly do have My blessing."

Lucifer swallowed, his chest feeling a slight painful twitch. He inclined his head a mere inch. While he wasn't able to say anything about what God had showed him, he now was feeling strong enough to at least address this new segment of his life. "Thank you, Dad." he spoke, his voice breaking, despite his attempts to not let it. To compensate he added with a sly smirk, "Not that You would need me to say it." With that, he walked back out onto the balcony overviewing the expanse of the Silver City and tensed his wings above Chloe's. He took in her careful look, questions and emotions clearly visible in her blue eyes. Yes, he would tell her everything in due time, at least he would try to explain his experiences to her as best as possible. But now, he wanted nothing more than to head back to earth.

"Are you ready to leave?" she asked with a small voice, her thumbs brushing over his hands.

"Yes." he breathed, smiling. "Let's go home." Aligning himself with her, they both took off with one heavy push of their wings, leaving behind nothing but an echo of rustling feathers.

~ The End ~

* * *

 **A/N: This is it. The end. I must admit, I had shed a few tears writing this chapter. I had a lot of background setup for Lucifer along with the story of Eden and Gadreel, as well as the overall idea of free will for angels. I hope that I could transfer the force of emotions well enough which were implanted and shown to Lucifer, so you could also feel the impact along with him.**

 **As I said in the top notes, I have answered questions, but also raised new ones. I made hints about things of Lucifer's past, some that are intentionally kept in the dark for you, obviously. Some to think about and speculate. I would encourage you to not just consume the story, but, if you like, also give it some thought.**

 **Here are a bunch of kickstarters:**

 **Lucifer's whole being, his character, behavior and skills have all been planned and constructed with purpose. Curiosity drove him, made him ask questions, made him seek out answers, whether they'd come from God, his siblings or if it meant he'd have to find the answer by himself. What does it mean to him, that his existence is pretty much all planned? What does it mean to him, that he now has learned connections in between the events of his past? That his Father had to behave the way He did, in order for Lucifer to become the man he is today, and the men is going to be in the future? What awaits Lucifer? What did it feel like for Lucifer to experience God's own emotions? What happened with Lucifer (Samael) in the Garden of Eden? What has happened to Eve? And what about Chloe? She is a new kind of angel, but what exactly could this mean? Does she still effect Lucifer the way she did when she had been a human? What about her own life? Is she immortal? Does she stop to age? If so, what is her future going to look like, concerning Trixie, her friends and her job? And lastly, what about angels and free will? What does it mean that God had all created them with it in the first place?**

 **As you see, there are many things only scratched at on the surface, and that was intentional. Because these things deserve time to be discovered and slowly experienced. Most likely in another story or even stories. I have mentioned in the previous chapter, that I already have made several notes on another story. It will cover some of these questions, mostly concerning Lucifer's past and it will give background information and close in gaps to elements of this story.**

 **I want to give a very special thanks to not only the folks that have reviewed me continuously, but also those that have been especially supportive in the background.**

 **Kittendealer and Bebec, thanks for making me start writing this story! I would have honestly not have had the guts to publish anything without your encouragement! And Kittendealer especially, you have been such a tremendous help when I got started with this and was on so shaky legs. I want to give credit here, that I (albeit subconsciously) implemented a part of your idea with humanity having been created in Lucifer's image. It is such a wonderful thought and it makes sense on so many levels.**

 **If you folks are curious as to how Kittendealer has put it into a story, please, I highly recommend you go read her story "Stuck In Hell" and continue on with her sequel (currently WIP) "Back From The Shadows". She set up a wonderful universe around what we know from the TV show, with all kinds of amazing supernatural elements and a whole lot of romance with our beloved characters. She puts a lot of love and depth into her stories and knowing her as a support right from the beginning, you would do me a favor by stopping by her work and leave her some lovely feedback.**

 **DeathlyOlympianHallow and Cengiz, thank you SO much for you beta work. I would have never released a single chapter, without you having looked through my silly grammar mistakes. On The Darker Side, thank you for your neverending support, your uplifting words, your endless pool of naughtiness and, good lord, thanks for pinterest as well as eggplants. :D**

 **Alright then, these are my closing lines. I'd be happy for your feedback as always. Let me know what you think of this chapter and if you like the overall story. It's still a few days till S4 airs, so if you are up for it, enjoy a re-read to pass the time. Thank you all so much for your time and wonderful support. I wish you all the best. Stay tuned for more stories to come.**

 **Yours truly,**

 **-Luni**


	34. Update: New Story!

**Final Author Notes:**

 **Hello my dear Lucifans! As I had previously announced, I am working on a new story, called "Fall From Grace". The story acts as a standalone, but can also be read like a prequel :D**

 **It covers several aspects that have been mentioned in "The Shallow Deep", such as more information on Gadreel as well as Zuriel. But more importantly, it will give interesting new views and explanations on things that happened to our beloved Devil, before he became him! You wondered what happened to Samael when he created the Morningstar? What did he talk about with Gadreel at the Gates of Eden? How did he react when he saw Eve for the first time? And what truly happened in the garden? These and MANY more questions will be answered in the new short story. Feel free to stop by and take a look. The first chapter is released already. I'm curious about your feedback and thoughts!**

 **Enjoy the read and see you soon!**

 **Yours,**

 **Luni**


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